TruKid Product Review

A few weeks ago I was given the opportunity to try some of the TruKid line of products.  TruKid was started by a mom of six.  The goal of TruKid is to promote healthy habits in kids, starting with their skin and having fun while using their products.  The TruKid products are all natural making them healthy for kids' bodies.  In addition, they not only make natural products, but provide awareness for parents regarding chemicals to look out for in products that may be unhealthy for your children.  TruKid is also concerned about the environment, striving to replace traditional packaging options with packaging that is biodegradable or recyclable whenever possible.  This is important, because not only do we want to keep our kids healthy, but we want them to grow up in a clean, healthy environment as well.  In order to do that, we need to be conscious about what "waste" is left from products.  

As part of my review package, I was given two full-sized products to try free of charge.  I was able to try the Silly Shampoo

And the Happy Face and Body Lotion


As you can see, the packaging is colorful and inviting for a child or toddler.  They both arrived with an easy to use pump.  

I used both products for a couple of weeks before deciding to write the review.  I used the products on my three year old.  She is Ethiopian and has both special hair and skin care needs.  My daughter loved the products.  They were unique in their packaging, so she identified them as "hers".  She loved the smell of them.  Both products have a nice, citrus smell - kind of a grapefruit scent.  Great for small kids!

I had to quit using the Silly shampoo on my three year old.  While I loved the smell of the product and am happy with the fact that it was all natural, it dried her hair out too much.  Even with the conditioner and oils that I normally use on her hair, it made her hair dry and difficult to manage.  However, I did try the product on my older daughter, who is Chinese and it worked great on her hair.  She too enjoyed the smell of it.  Ethnic hair is sometimes tricky to find the right products for and this is one that just unfortunately did not work well with her hair type.

The Happy Face and Body Lotion was excellent!  I use lotion on my daughter daily.  When I was using the shampoo, I liked the fact that the lotion was the same scent as the shampoo.  Great for kids - not too overwhelming.  My daughter has unique skin care needs in addition to her unique hair care needs.  I have gone through many different skin care products finding the ones that will work with my daughter's skin.  She has extremely dry skin.  We used the Happy Face and Body lotion for a couple of weeks and I couldn't be more pleased with it.  Not only is the scent great, but it kept her skin moisturized and soft.  My daughter again liked it because of the unique packaging and the fresh scent.  I did get several comments from friends that she smelled wonderful!  It's a very clean, fresh scent.

If you are looking for natural, unique, kid-friendly products from a company that is not only concerned about kids' health, but also concerned about the environment I would definitely recommend TruKids.  In addition to skin care and bath products, they also have a line of sun care products and a line of products specially designed for babies.  If you browse through their web site at www.trukids.com you will find kid friendly songs/rhymes that encourage them to care for their bodies as well as helpful hints for parents regarding chemicals to be wary of and sun care tips.

The generous people at TruKid have offered a special coupon for my blog readers.  Go over to www.trukid.com and browse through their great products.  If you order $30 or more in products you will receive a FREE Happy Face and Body Lotion ($8.99 value).  Just enter the coupon code 

happymom



Quality Mom

Enfagrow Older Toddler Ready to Drink Cartons - Review

Everyone who has had an infant and used formula knows the name Enfamil.  I used Enfamil when my son was a baby.  Anna and Sara both arrived home past the "baby" stage, so I didn't have to use formula for either of them.  I was intrigued though, when I was contacted by Enfamil to try their 

Enfagrow® Older Toddler Formula in ready to drink boxes.  

I received two four packs of the ready to drink boxes, one pack in vanilla flavor and one in a natural milk flavor.  They come in a nice, STURDY container that is similar to what you would see for a juice box.  The difference is.... they are not as "squishy" as a juice box!  If you have a toddler, I'm sure your've experienced jabbing the straw through the little hole, handing the box gingerly over to your toddler, only to have them squeeze too tightly (even though you told them, AS you were handing it to them, not to squeeze) only to have a sticky, juicy mess all over your floors, your toddler and their clothes.  I was very impressed with this box for that reason.  It comes with a sturdy straw (one that won't fall into the container) and has a pull tab option for the older child who might like to drink right out of the box!  My only complaint with the packaging is that the straw is VERY difficult to get through the pull tab if you want to have your child drink it through the straw.  I gave up on trying and just pulled the pull tab back a bit and put the straw in.  My daughter did then decide to fiddle with the tab while she was eating lunch.  It would be my only packaging improvement suggestion for the product.

The product is generous in terms of size.  The ready to drink boxes are 8.25 fl oz cartons.  They are actually a bit big for my small toddler.  After I discovered she wasn't going to drink it all in one sitting, I just started pouring it into a cup for her and putting the rest in the fridge for a drink during the day or for her next meal.  Kids are always wanting drinks, so it was definitely not going to sit in there long.  

Sara eats pretty much anything, including fruits, vegetables and meats, so her diet is pretty well balanced.  I'm not really concerned that she is not getting the proper nutrition.  However, that being said, the product is full of great nutrients, including DHA that is beneficial to the growing (and learning) brain of a toddler!  You can never get too much good nutrition!

Another benefit of this product is that it can be stored on a shelf.  You can buy the product in 24 packs at your local big box store (you know which ones they are, no need to mention them here) and you don't have to worry about them taking up a ton of room in your fridge.  Just store them in the cabinet until you are ready to use them.  Personally, I would not drink anything that resembles milk warm, so I put mine in the fridge for Sara to have.  You could always put a few days worth in the fridge and store the rest in the cupboard if that is your preference.  They are also great for on the go kids.  Since they don't HAVE to be refrigerated, they can easily and conveniently go to the soccer game, the baseball game, the gymnastic lessons... wherever you might be on the go with your toddler.  

The biggest test would be the "Toddler Taste Test".  While Sara is not a "picky" eater per se, she is very vocal about what she likes and does not like.  So, I took a box out of the fridge.  It just happened to be the vanilla package that I opened first. I gave it to her with her breakfast and she LOVED it!  She asked for it for lunch as well.  Today we opened the natural milk flavor and I wondered if she would hesitate to drink it because it didn't have the vanilla flavor in it.  Nope, she loved it.  She finished her breakfast and asked if she could have the rest of it.  (She usually doesn't finish all of it, because it's a bit big for her small size).  

I went 0n-line and looked at prices for the product.  They are a bit pricey for my pocket book.  Especially since I don't have a toddler who I have concerns with wether their nutritional needs are being met.  If I did, I would spend the extra money and buy a product like this to make sure my toddler was getting the nutrition she needs.  I will say that I do have an older daughter that needs the extra nutrition, just because she is active and doesn't eat a lot.  We do spend the money on a product for her that is equivalent to the Enfagrow - just for older kids.  So, if necessary, I would definitely spend the money to ensure good nutrition!  Enfagrow does offer coupons on line that you can take advantage of, making the price a bit more reasonable.  

My only suggestion for the product itself (besides the ease of use for the straw mentioned above) would be to introduce chocolate.  Most kids would love a chocolate milk drink over a vanilla or natural milk taste.

Click here to learn more about Enfagrow Ready to Drink Cartons.

The toddler's opinion of the product (they don't care about price :) is really what's important, and my daughter would give it two thumbs up!  

Quality Mom

Glade Expressions Collection - Review

I was really pleased when I was asked to participate in the Glade Expressions Collection BzzCampaign.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm a person who loves "scents".  Glade offered me the opportunity to try two of their new great products:

The Glade Expressions Fragrance Mist and;

The Glade Expressions Oil Diffuser

The people at Glade were kind enough to send me coupons for each of these products  to purchase the "starter kits" for each product.  It ended up costing me nothing to purchase these.  I found it nice to receive the coupons rather than the product itself, because it gave me the opportunity to pick the scent I would enjoy most in my home.   I chose the fuji apple and cardamom spice scent for both the oil diffuser and the fragrance mist.  

The starter kits for both of the items were reasonably priced. I like the fact that the products are refillable which make them more economical as well as eco-friendly.

I put the fragrance mist in the bathroom, but actually use it throughout the house.  The scent is long lasting, and "floats" in the room.  With some fragrance sprays, the spray ends up more on the floor than in the air.  The Glade Fragrance mist stayed suspended in the air, allowing the fragrance in the room to last longer.  And, since you have to leave the spray bottle out for convenience, I love that it is designed nicely.  It doesn't just look like a spray bottle, it's artfully decorative.  Of course, no spray bottle is going to be "lovely" sitting out in your rooms, but it is tastefully decorated to blend in more with the surroundings and not look so much like a spray bottle just sitting out.

I put the oil diffuser in the den.  I don't like to have a lot of stuff "sitting out" in the house.  It just tends to look messy.  The oil diffuser was easy to put together and is fairly decorative.  It has a somewhat "modern" feel to the style of it.  I like the fact that is it small, and even if it doesn't fit in the best with your decor, it's small and pretty inconspicuous.... with the exception of the scent.  I loved the scent!  The fugi apple and cardamom spice scent was wonderful.  It reminded me of the smell of fall.  It had a nice sweet scent, followed by the warm scent of the spice!  I'd definitely recommend this scent!

All around I found the Glade Expressions collection to be reasonably priced, effective, designed well and a good value for the money.  The scents filled the house and felt warm and inviting!  You won't be disappointed with the scents!  Even my husband and kids loved it!

Charity

aka "Quality Mom"

Lost Creek Candle Company - Review

Lost Creek Candle Company - the name just sounds relaxing!  I was pleased when the great people at Lost Creek Candle Company gave me an opportunity to review two of their great products.  If you check out their website here, you will find that they have a wide variety of products, not just candles.  Two of their main products are candles and Nature's Magic skin care products.  I was able to review both of these products.

The first item I was able to review was a votive in Red Hot Cinnamon.  Remember when you were a kid and you were decorating Christmas cookies and your grandmother would bring out a bag of red hots?  You would open the bag and the scent of cinnamon would almost burn your nose - and you LOVED it!  You could almost taste them, just by smelling them.  That is the scent that is captured in this candle.  If you prefer outdoor scents to the "homey" scents, they have those too.  They have 24 different candle scents for you to choose from.  The votives are expected to burn 15-18 hours.  You can also make "tarts" out of the votives, simply by removing the wick and cutting the votive in half prior to burning.  

The second product I was able to review was the Nature's Magic skin cream.  Nature's Magic is an all natural skin cream.  If you visit the website here, you will find the list of all natural ingredients that are used in this product as well as uses for the product.  I began using the skin cream right after I received it.  The cream I tried had a very light scent, definitely nothing overwhelming and nothing that would conflict with any other scent you might be wearing.  I have very dry skin, so I was looking forward to seeing how this product would work.  I put lotion on probably several times a day.  My kids actually make jokes about it, because it seems to be an obsession of mine.  I just don't like that feeling of tight, dry skin.  With Nature's Magic, a little goes a long way.  I was surprised when the web page said you could use an amount the size of a pea and have coverage over both hands.  I tried it and indeed it worked.  I was able to not only use it on my hands, but my elbows as well.  I found that if I used it after my shower in the morning, I only had to apply it once throughout the day.  It's great to put on before bedtime as well just to keep moisturizing throughout the night.  The skin care products are available scented or unscented.  This would be a great for a teacher, a friend or for yourself "just because".  It's a great product for anyone who has dry skin and would like natural product to use on their skin.  They combine products into gift sets and wrap them in pretty gold gift bags!

Be sure to check out all of the products available from The Lost Creek Candle Company.  Their contact information is:

web page:  www.lostcreekcandleco.com
e-mail:  lostcreekcandles@aol.com

Charity
aka "Quality Mom"

Organic Candle Company Review

I was thrilled yesterday when I received a box in the mail from the Organic Candle Company.  After reading about their candles on their website, I was very anxious to try their Organic candles.  I'm a candle lover, but in the past I haven't thought much about whether a candle is "organic" or not.  Everyone thinks about that lately when it comes to food, but why would it be important to "think organic" when it comes to candles.... I didn't know, so I checked out more on their website (click here).

What I found was that most candles are paraffin which is petroleum industry waste.  This waste is bleached and then textured with chemicals.  They are scented with artificial oils.  Burning these candles can produce toxins that you are releasing into the air that you breathe.

Candles from the Organic Candle Company are made from 100% pure, unbleached, all natural beeswax.  Their candles are naturally hypoallergenic and do not produce the toxins or soot common to commercially produced candles during burning.  Organic candles from the Organic Candle Company are long lasting and clean burning.  I love burning candles.  I'm home with the kids all the time and you can usually find a candle burning in my home if we are home.  I think it's important to consider what you are putting into the air you are breathing, especially if you are a candle lover like I am!

The Organic Candle Company generously sent me two candles.  They sent a 7 oz candle in "Organic Clove Bud" and a 3 oz in "Organic Sunshine Spice".  

The scent of each candle was great even prior to burning.  The scents were strong - especially the clove candle.  I personally like the scent of clove, but if you didn't, the scent might be too strong.  

You can tell right away that these candles are different than candles you might normally purchase.  The wax is "soft".  The candle does burn cleanly without "smoking" from the flame like you might get from commercially produced candles.

If you are interested in 100% organic candles, check out the Organic Candle Company.  They are having a great sale on their candles right now, so hurry over!  

Their website is:  www.organiccandlecompany.com

They have some great scents for you to try.  If you like clove, I would highly recommend the clove bud candle!

Charity
aka - "Quality Mom"

Nourish Argan oil winners

Tonight the kids and I picked the winners for the Nourish Argan oil.....

And the winners were.....

Paula Spears

and 

Angela Baker

Please e-mail me your address at:  qualitymom@sc.rr.com or send me a message on FB.  I'll get your great hair care product out to you early next week!

Charity
aka - "Quality Mom"

Mrs. Kat's Produce Box - Local Florence, SC area review

How would you like to see this show up on your front doorstep  once a week?   This is the actual box delivered to my home.

The other day I received a flyer in my mailbox.  It was for "Mrs. Kat's Produce Box".  It had a picture on the front of the flyer of a beautiful box of vegetables.  It said "Fresh Produce Weekly - Delivered to your door".  As a mom who can't drive on her own, the idea of fresh produce being delivered to me sounded intriguing.  I kept reading.  

Mrs. Kat's Produce Box provides a box of fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables, locally grown, delivered to your door once a week.  I contacted Mrs. Kat for additional information on her produce boxes.

Look at those beautiful colors!

The boxes are delivered on Thurday and Friday each week.  They deliver fresh, quality produce.  Any produce that the customer feels is not fresh will be replaced or money refunded.  Their aim is to deliver fresh produce to customers.  In her words "If I wouldn't eat it, I wouldn't expect anyone else to either!"  Good motto!

Through the farmers that she works with, she will know what is fresh and available for the following week and provide that information in a newsletter that is placed in your delivered box.  Boxes can also be customized if Mrs. Kat is notified in advance.

There is no long term commitment to the produce boxes.  You simply let Mrs. Kat know (through e-mail or website) and have your payment made by Tuesday evening (through cash / check / or paypal) and your produce will be delivered on Thursday or Friday.  They are expecting the boxes to be available through the first week of December and then pick up again in the spring as produce becomes available.  

The flyer contained an "example" produce box list:
4 Large peaches
4 ears sweet corn
6 squash
4 tomatoes
2 Carolina sweet onions
1/2 quart bag of okra
2.5 lbs red potatoes
An add on of fresh blueberries 

The cost for the produce box, delivered to  your door weekly is $23.50.

I went on some grocery store web pages and added up the cost of the produce if you bought it in the grocery store.  It came up to about $20 or $21.00.    And that was with shopping sales at different stores, not delivered and I know through experience....not as fresh.  I'm not sure what the cost would be if I shopped the farmer's market.

I contacted Mrs. Kat to see if she would allow me to review her produce box for my blog.  It can't hurt to ask. What I've found is that people who stand behind their products are more likely to agree to a complimentary sample for review, because they know you will not be disappointed.  

I contacted Mrs. Kat on Sunday and my box of produce was delivered today (Thursday)- free of charge to me for the review.

When the produce arrived, I was pleased with  how it was boxed.  The produce was organized well - heavy produce on the bottom, fragile produce on the top and things like the potatoes and okra were bagged and not just free in the box.  The presentation was nice.  It was all contained in a sturdy box that was easy to carry (it wasn't flimsy).  Also, the gentleman who delivered it offered me some tips about storage of the produce to keep it fresh the longest.

My husband came home right after the produce was delivered and we looked through it all together.  The thing I kept saying to him over and over again was how "fresh" the produce did actually look and it was CLEAN.  The potatoes were CLEAN.  The squash was CLEAN.  The tomatoes were CLEAN!  All the vegetables looked so nice and clean, they almost didn't look real.  I hate when I'm picking through produce at the store and all of the produce is dirty.  Even the onions were clean.  Take a look for yourself.  I didn't do anything to this produce other than remove it from the box.

So, in my complimentary box, I received the following (I have a food scale at home, so I did actually weigh everything):
4 ears of corn

Seriously can't wait to cook this.  It looks SO good!

2.5 pounds red potatoes

4 large tomatoes (about 3 pounds)

4 large peaches (about 2 pounds)

2 Carolina sweet onions (about 1 pound)

7 yellow squash (about 2 pounds)

1 pound of okra

I couldn't resist cutting into a peach.  It was wonderful.  I pulled back the husk of corn to take a peek at the kernels, and I can't wait to make this corn because it looks absolutely delicious.  The potatoes were firm and looked as though they would be great for baking.  And the tomatoes... I had to cut into one of those as well.  It was very good.

In Mrs. Kat's brochure for her produce box she says that you can taste a difference in fresh, locally grown produce.  I truly believe that you can.  

After receiving the box and seeing how fresh the produce really is, I think this is something that Tim and I might try.  So many times when we are looking for produce, we "settle". We settle for what they have in whatever store we went to, because we don't want to run all over.  Sure, we'll have to buy additional things, but it will be nice to know that we can expect fresh produce on our doorstep once a week.  And with the brochure in the previous week's box, you can plan for the additional things that you will need to buy for the week to supplement the box.  I think the produce provided is a good size of each variety for a family of four.  We are a family of five, but one of my kids is not a big veggie eater - so technically we are a veggie-eating family of four.  Knowing that I could customize the box, I would up the ears of corn, cut back on the squash (but still have some in there).....but that's about all I'd change.  We'd need more corn because all of us LOVE corn, and if I bought some from the store, you would be able to tell which ears were from the box, and we'd all be fighting for those, I'm sure!

I think Mrs. Kat has thought of something great in the start of this new business.  She saw a need and filled it - and made a business out of it.  So many working families don't have time to go to the farmer's market and pick out their own fresh produce each week.  To have someone do this for you and deliver it to your door... well that to me, is awesome.  As she stated in her brochure, it also encourages healthy eating.  

If you would like to contact Mrs. Kat about getting fresh produce delivered to your door, or find out what will be in next week's produce box, you can contact her at:

MrsKatsProduceBox@gmail.com  or at
843-665-1253

She is also working on building her website at mrskatsproducebox.com  You can visit her there as well.  I'm not sure what the delivery area is - but if you are interested, check with Mrs. Kat.

If you decide to contact her or click on over to her website for a peek, please tell her that you heard about her produce boxes on my blog.  I don't get anything out of it, but I'd love for her to know that sharing her story and her sharing her box with me was beneficial to her.

And to Mrs. Kat... I'll be contacting you to see what's in next week's box and to place my order!

Charity
aka - "Quality Mom"

Faber Products LLC - Nourish Argan Oil Review

I'm a mom with a house full of kids that have special hair care needs.  My greatest challenge is probably my daughter from Ethiopia.  She has some beautiful hair when I can manage it and it isn't fully out of control!

When I was contacted by the people at Faber Products and was asked to pick a product for review, I chose the Nourish Argan oil.  I have good luck and bad luck when it comes to picking products for Sara's hair.  I want a product that will manage her beautiful curls, strengthen her hair, add essential oils back to it without making it feel "oily", give her that beautiful shine back and make it tangle-free.  So.... I ask for a lot.  When the box arrived, I was anxious to try it out.  I was not disappointed.

I received THREE bottles of this Nourish Argan oil.  Each one is a 1.7 Fl Oz bottle.  As I posted before, they were kind enough to send me three bottles.  One for me to try and two to share with you.  I'll share more on that in a minute though.  You will want to see the before/after and then decide if you want to join in the give away (trust me when I say you will want to).

This is Sara before any hair treatment.  Seriously, no joke, this is how her hair can look.  I didn't "mess it up" for the picture.... it's just how it is without product.  

I spritzed Sara's hair with water and put ONE PUMP of product in the palm of my hand.  The bottle may seem small, but when one pump is all you need (at least for Sara's hair) it should last quite awhile.  I rubbed my hands  together and then massaged it through Sara's hair.  I kind of "scrunch" it so I don't separate all of the curls.  

Oh, and I'm always concerned about the smell of the product.  I don't want my little girl to look great but have a nasty product smell on her hair.  This product has a great fresh smell to it.  

So, here are the after pictures.  This is again, one pump of the product on slightly damp hair.  I also took pictures about 30 minutes later so you can see how the effect stays as the hair dries.  

Immediately after putting Nourish Argan oil in hair

Immediately after - you can see the shine and manageability

Immediately after - nice, separated, controlled curls

After 30 minutes

After 30 minutes - hair is a little fuller, because it had dried, but beautiful, manageable and not frizzy

30 minutes later - oh, and the hair is not oily and it's very soft!

The following day after using the product, her hair was easier to comb through.  There were far less tangles.  Also, washing her hair was easier as there were less tangles to try get out while washing.  It made for a happier kid at bath time that's for sure.

I'm so pleased with the Nourish Argan oil.  This product, along with many other Nourish and Healthy Hair Plus products can be found at healthyhairplus.com.  I wanted to share the mission of the company:

                                       Natural-based, botanical active ingredients and essential oils

                                       Minimal and recyclable packaging

                                       Development and adoption of industry best-practices

                                       Continued process improvement for corporate efficiencies

                                       On-going ingredient research, development and sourcing

                                       Customer education on ingredients, solutions and hair care

                                       Solutions for Cleansing, Rejuvenation and Growth

                                       Results and Benefits Based product objectives!

I'm always happy when I find a great, eco-friendly company that is focused on products that deliver results.

Finally, as I said, the people at Faber Products were kind enough to give me one bottle to try and two to share for others to experience.  If you have not done so already, Follow my blog (if you are already a follower, just leave me a comment on this post) and I'll enter you for a chance to win one of these great bottles of Argan oil.  Anyone with ethnic hair, heat treated hair, damaged or curly hair will want to try this product and experience the results for themselves.  If you would like a second entry, share my post on your blog and leave me a comment where you shared it.  Finally you can share it on FB for a third entry.  I'll be drawing to see who gets to try this great product next weekend!

Charity
aka - "Quality Mom"

Cayden Candle Company - Review

The wonderful people at Cayden Candle Company were kind enough to send me some of their candles to review.  I am a candle lover.  I burn them all of the time and was anxious to receive their candles for review.  

When the box arrived and I opened it up, the aroma was wonderful.  Even without opening the individual boxes, I could smell the scents.  I'm all about presentation, so when I opened the box, I was pleased with the simple, neat presentation.

Cayden Candle Co sent me two large candles and four "samplers" for review.  In the large candles, they sent me the scents "Vanilla" and "Cucumber Melon". 

In the samplers I received "Tuberose", "Peaches and Cream", "Brown Sugar" and "Mango/Papaya".  Since the people at Cayden Candle Co. were so generous with their products for me to review, I've decided to share them with you.  I'm packaging the sampler candles and will send them to two of YOU to try also... but more to come on that later.

I have been burning the vanilla  and cucumber melon candles and I love them.  The scents are not too overwhelming, even without burning the candles, they give off a soft scent.  The vanilla is my favorite - very warm and inviting.  The cucumber melon is great as well.  It's very fresh for summer!  The best thing I've found (besides the scents) is that the candles burn cleanly and evenly.  They are definitely quality candles.

I had to of-course, smell all of the samplers, even though I'm not going to burn them.  They all smelled wonderful.  I was hesitant with the "tuberose" because I don't like floral scents - they tend to almost instantly give me a headache.... especially anything "rose" scented, which I assumed tuberose was.  I was pleasantly surprised with the scent.  While I'm partial to the "food / cooking" scents, I would purchase the tuberose.  It's a nice, fresh floral scent - the first I've found that won't give me a headache!  The other three scents are no-brainers, at least for me.  I would definitely purchase them.  "Peaches and Cream", "Brown Sugar" and "Mango/Papaya" are all true to the scent that you would expect from their name.  And the samplers are a great size.  I assumed they would be the size of a standard tea light candle.  They are quite a bit bigger.  About double the size of a standard tea light candle.

If you would like to be included in a Cayden Candle Co. give away, stay tuned and I'll tell you how you can win two of these great sampler candles.  

In the meantime, go over to the Cayden Candle Co website and browse their interesting selection of candles.  They are reasonably priced and would make great gifts or just a special purchase for your own home.  You won't be disappointed with the quality of the product.  You'll love their web pictures as well- very creative.  You can almost smell the candle just by their pictures!

Stay tuned and follow my blog to see how you can win two of these great sampler candles in two yummy scents!

Charity
aka - Quality Mom

One for me.... Two for YOU!!!

Great haircare product give away!!!  I received some hair care products for review today.  The company was generous enough to send one for me and TWO for you!!! 

I'll be drawing two winners for the extra bottles I was given next weekend (more about the product to follow).  To be included in the giveaway, simply sign up to "follow" my blog. That will get you an entry for the product.  Share this blog on your blog and you will get a second entry (just comment on this post that you have shared my blog on your blog and don't forget to give me the address or a link to your blog).  Finally, if we aren't friends already, send me a friend request on FB (Charity Roach) and share my blog on FB with your friends!  That will get you a third entry.  YOUR friends are welcome to follow the blog and win as well.  

Next weekend I'll draw two winners and will send them their hair care product to try.  I've tried a bit already, and it's great for curly hair, dry hair, ethnic hair (asian and african) and really good for heat treated hair (those of us who love flat irons).  

If you'd like a prize in the mail - spread the word and follow my blog - you never know what will come up next as a great giveaway!!!  

Charity
aka - Quality Mom

Barrier Reef Pools - Florence, South Carolina

This summer Tim and I decided we were in the market for a pool.  We did some looking around last summer, but didn't make our final decision until early this year.  We decided on Barrier Reef Pools in Florence, SC.  There are two aspects of this review - the quality of the pool, and the service from the store.   Let me start with the quality of the service.

Randy Weatherford is the manager of the store in Florence and he is who we dealt with in terms of purchasing the pool.  

In an interview published with SCNOW.com regarding the opening of the Barrier Reef store in Florence, the following was quoted (published July 22, 2011) 

“We look forward to helping the pool owners of Florence create many great family memories in their pools and backyards," says Randy Weatherford, store manager.  "We want our customers to depend on us for our superior service and technical know-how.”

I'm far from pleased with the service we have received with regard to the pool.  I do have to admit, there are some good things... the store location is close to our home and we get free pool supplies for this season with the installation of the pool.... that's pretty much where the good service ends though (and I'm sure we've paid for the "free" pool supplies in the cost of the pool).

I won't even go into the issues we had with the installation (that was at least six weeks if not more delayed for completion), I'll just talk about the service after the sale... after the final large check was written.  We have had to call the store on many occasions - multiple times, to get things taken care of.  For instance - our therapeutic jet inserts were not put in when the pool was installed.. took forever to get those in, and it was a simple job.  We had remote control lighting that we paid for with the purchase of the pool - well, they installed the wrong lighting with the pool and it also took multiple calls and a lengthy wait to get the appropriate lighting installed.  

Right now, we are dealing with deck jets.  We have three deck jets installed on the pool decking.  When you turn them on, they shoot water out, like a fountain into the pool.  The kids love them.  Well, they are SUPPOSED to shoot water out into the pool... ours don't work right, so we can't turn them on.. unless of course we just want to water down the concrete.  Over the past three weeks, I have personally called and left messages three times, and Tim has as well.  We have not even gotten a return phone call.  Tim went into the store and talked to Randy about it personally - still no one has come out to take care of fixing the deck jets.  If it is not taken care of in short order, my next stop will be the better business bureau, or small claims court if necessary.  I hate to talk about court, but if you have no other recourse, sometimes you just have to go that route.  For service, I would give them a D- on a A-F scale!

As for the pool itself...... LOVE it!!!!  We picked a fiberglass pool - which is the only kind that Barrier Reef sells.  We were looking at all of our options - fiberglass vs. liner and found the fiberglass to be a better option for our family.  We were not concerned with the depth - the pool we chose is 15 feet wide, 40 feet long, and approximately 9 feet deep.  It's too shallow for a diving board, but I didn't want one anyway.  I loved the sculptured look of the fiberglass pool.  It is also a salt water poor - which I LOVE.  If you have never felt the water in a salt water pool, you don't know what you're missing.  It's "soft".  That's really the only way I know how to describe it.  It almost makes your skin feel conditioned when you have been in it.  And it's not salty like the ocean - you don't get out of the water feeling "sticky" like you do at the ocean.  The water has salt content similar to saline... for that matter, it's very easy on your eyes as well... nothing like the chlorine pools we had when I was growing up.  All around, I couldn't be more thrilled with this pool.  I told Tim, besides investing in the kids' future, there is really no better investment that we have made!

Where once there was only a yard, now there are hours of family fun!

It can get REALLY hot in SC and this summer has been a scorcher - but with the pool, we have been able to be outside and enjoy the sunshine.  At night, we light around the fence with tiki torches and turn on the pool lights and it is absolutely beautiful and relaxing!

I guess for the pool itself, I would give it an A-..... there are always things that can be improved.  The only complaint I really have is with regard to the salt system / pump - it's kinda loud.  I guess you get used to the sound of it after awhile, but it is loud.  In terms of beauty, quality, easy care and just plain fun... this is definitely a great pool!

Sadly, if we had to do it over again, we would not choose Barrier Reef - as much as I love the pool, I would  have to find a different pool company and I couldn't in good faith recommend them to someone without a warning regarding the service.  It's not just poor, it's bad.  Which is ironic after the quote from the article when the store was opening.  If they improved their service and response to customers, they could actually have a good business going on there....

Charity
aka - "Quality Mom"