CafePress Review and Giveaway

Are you looking for a place to find or make unique clothing or gifts? If so check out CafePress. What impressed me the most about this website is the vast amount of products that they offer: t-shirts and clothing, drinkware, posters and wall decals, home accents, stationary, and stickers and flair. Among these products there are so many different categories including math. Here is a little about CafePress from their website:

CafePress is where the world shops for custom T-shirts and other unique gifts that express people's unique personalities. You'll find millions of one-of-a-kind designs on every topic you can imagine (and some you can't)-from political expressions, funny t-shirts & stickers, to all sorts of merchandise with cool personalized designs. Plus find themed gear from major brands such as the Twilight Saga, American Idol, Star Trek, & more. You can also make your own personalized gifts with our easy design tool which allows you the ability to add photos, text, images, to even creating designs or logos from scratch. Our breadth of merchandise you can customize includes high-quality products such as t-shirts, hoodies, posters, bumper stickers, mugs and much more. At CafePress we print each item as it's ordered, and products usually ship within 24 hours. CafePress also allows you to set up online shops for free where you can design & sell your own creatively designed merchandise. Founded in 1999, CafePress is the leader in on-demand printing.

I spent a lot of time browsing their website trying to make a decision on what products I wanted to review. Being a math teacher, I was drawn to their math products and chose a t-shirt and a few posters. The t-shirt I chose was called Super Pi. This black, V-Neck T-shirt is styled similar to the Superman logo, but with the symbol pi in the middle surrounded by 1005 decimals of pi. Where I teach, we have casual Fridays every pay day. In order to dress down, we donate money to a scholarship fund for our senior students. I thought that this t-shirt would be perfect to wear on casual Fridays, especially when I need to teach about irrational numbers or measurement. Never fear, Super Pi is here! This t-shirt fit me perfectly and is very comfortable.


I also picked out a few posters to review, since I am always looking for ways to decorate my classroom. I picked the Butterfly, Noble Blue Poster, which illustrates fractals, the pink Sweet As Pi Poster, and the Pi Number on Earth Poster. All three posters are printed on glossy, 12 point paper and measure 11" by 17". I can't wait to put them up.

Not only was I impressed by CafePress's selection of products, but I was also impressed with how quickly I received my items in the mail.

Win it: CafePress has offered to giveaway a $50 gift code to one lucky reader. The $50 CafePress Coupon can be used to personalize a gift, coffee mug, and more!

Mandatory Entry: Visit CafePress and leave me a comment letting me know which product catches your interest.

Extra Entries:
1) Become a follower of my blog through google connect.
2) "Like" Dealightfully Frugal on facebook and leave your username.
3) "Like"CafePress on facebook and leave your username.
4) Follow me on Twitter and leave your username.
5) Follow CafePress on Twitter and leave your username.

Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry, as well as your email in one of the comments.

This giveaway will end August 13, 2011 at 11:59 pm(EST). The giveaway is open to US residents only. The winner will be chosen using random.org and will be notified by email. The winner will then have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: I received the above products to review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own and are my honest opinion of the product.

The Smurfs: A Magical Smurf Adventure DVD Review and Giveaway

When I was a young girl, I can remember watching the Smurfs on Saturday Morning Cartoons. It is amazing how many icons from my youth are making their reappearances now-including The Smurfs, which comes out in theaters on Friday. I was excited to have the chance to review The Smurfs: A Magical Smurf Adventure on DVD and share a part of my childhood with my kids.

Here is a little about the DVD that was released on July 19:

Get your Smurf on with this 2-disc set of 10 Smurftacular Episodes! In a hidden village dwells a clan of magical creatures, living in mushroom houses and taking showers with dewdrops. They're those international celebrities known far and wide as the Smurfs--and they're back on DVD. This itty-bitty powder-blue crew, including Brainy, Lazy, Vanity and Smurfette, is led by the wise, gentle and 542-year-old Papa Smurf. Gargamel, the local evil wizard, is forever scheming against the tiny team but our little friends outsmurf him every time! The Smurfs may only be three apples high, but they left miles of smiles on the faces of Saturday morning cartoon fans from 1981 to 1989! Smurf it up again with this colorful collection of superior Smurftainment!

My thoughts: When we first received the DVD, my youngest watched the whole first disk that night, but my oldest wasn't interested in it at the time. Today, I put it on to watch myself, since the boys wanted to do other things, but as soon as the first episode started, they were interested and almost watched all 10 episodes in one sitting. It brought me back to my youth, remembering how I would watch an episode on Saturday mornings. I asked my boys who their favorite Smurf was and my oldest loved Papa Smurf, while my youngest loved Lazy. If I were to pick, my favorite would be both Papa Smurf and Smurfette, the only girl Smurf in the whole show. I love it that my boys enjoyed this old classic as much as I did!

Win It: One lucky winner will receive their own copy of The Smurfs: A Magical Smurf Adventure on DVD.

Mandatory Entry: Leave me a comment letting me know which Smurf is your favorite.

Extra Entries:
1) Become a follower of my blog through google connect.
2) "Like" Dealightfully Frugal on facebook and leave your username.
3) "Like" Warner Brothers on facebook and leave your username.
4) Follow me on Twitter and leave your username.
5) Follow Warner Brothers on Twitter and leave your username.

Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry, as well as your email in one of the comments.

This giveaway will end August 11, 2011 at 11:59 pm(EST). The giveaway is open to US residents only. The winner will be chosen using random.org and will be notified by email. The winner will then have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the DVD to review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own and are my honest opinion of the product.

Things to Do Near Pensacola, Florida

On Saturday, I arrived home after a two-week vacation with my family at Pensacola, Florida. This vacation is a special time for us since we spend it with my in-laws. Although we love finding new places to explore, the main goal of our vacation is to spend time as a family. Here are a few highlights of our trip:

1) The Beach: A trip to Pensacola would not be complete without a trip to the beach. The kids absolutely loved it this year. Last year, they were quite hesitant to get in the water. But this year, they ran right in and did not want to get out.

2) The National Naval Aviation Museum: We actually visited twice because our two boys loved it and it is free! On the second floor of the museum there is The Cockpit Trainers Exhibit, where you can actually climb into the cockpits of a variety of aircraft and pretend you are flying. On our second visit we stopped at the local lighthouse, however decided not to take the 177 steps to the top. We also visited a new addition called Hangar Bay One, which adds 55,000 square feet of space to the museum and hosts the R4D-5L Skytrain nicknamed "Que Sera Sera" which was the first aircraft to land at the South Pole.

3) USS Alabama Battleship: Located in Mobile, this is the first time we checked out the battleship. In the battleship, we took a self-guided tour. I found it very interesting to explore the ship. You have the chance to see the cafeteria, mess hall, bunks, brigs, a chapel, a doctor's and dentist's office, the bathrooms, stores, laundry room, and the infirmary. Some recommendations are to follow the arrows and numbers for the tour, wear sneakers since the ladders you will climb are very steep, and if you are going in the summer, go early. It is hot. There was also a submarine that you could explore as well.

4) Gulf Breeze Zoo: We all really enjoyed the zoo, but it was hot!!! I was amazed that when we first entered the zoo, there were peacocks roaming wild instead of in a cage. This zoo has giraffes, lions, tigers, bears, monkeys, and more.

5) Lambert's: This restaurant is located in Foley, Alabama and we visit every year. With the exception of last year, usually we wait at least 45 minutes to get a table. This year we arrived at 4:00 in the middle of the week and we still waited 45 minutes. The place is absolutely packed, but the food is good and they are known for their thrown rolls. Yes, they throw hot, delicious, rolls at you. I would visit just to eat their rolls.

Our vacation was a lot of fun and we also had plenty of time to relax and enjoy quality time with our family.

ThinkGeek: Harry Potter Mirror of Erised and Marauder's Map Review

Over the past decade, the fame of Harry Potter has swept the nation. I got to admit when the first movie came out, I was not that interested in it. However, I went to see it with my family because of all of the hype at the time and because I heard that the graphics and scenes in this movie would be terrific. While it was a good movie, nevertheless, I did not get caught up in the world of Harry Potter until quite recently when my oldest son watched the first movie on DVD. He loved the first movie and then continued over time to watch the remaining seven.

Watching the DVDs with him sparked my interest in this series and I have grown to love it as well. As soon as we watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I in the theaters together, I had to borrow the book in order to find out how the series ends. There was no way I could wait until July. Although the wait was worth it, since the Deathly Hallows Part II was probably one of the best Harry Potter movies made.

Finding Harry Potter items in local stores is not always easy. My oldest son wanted some of the figurines of which I needed to buy on Amazon and Ebay. So I was very excited when I had the opportunity to work with ThinkGeek on reviewing some of their recent Harry Potter products: the Mirror of Erised and the Marauder's Map.

If you have watched the Harry Potter films or read the books, you will remember Harry first found the Mirror of Erised in the Sorcerer's Stone. As Harry looked into the mirror he saw himself surrounded by his dead parents and relatives. He visited as often as he could to see his parents until Dumbledore told him what the mirror was about and that it would be removed. If you read across the top of the frame of the mirror it is inscribed with the words Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi, which if you reverse the inscription and change the spacing it reads I show not your face but your hearts desire. At ThinkGeek, you can buy a replica of the mirror which measures 16.5" by 8.5". This mirror is quite heavy, but can be mounted either on a wall or on a tabletop. Of course, you will only see your reflection in this mirror, but think about what it would show if it truly showed your heart's desire.

The second item I reviewed was a replication of the Marauder's Map. In Harry's third year at Hogwarts, he was not able to visit Hogsmeade since his guardians did not sign his permission slip. However, George and Fred Weasley gave him the map so he could visit using a secret passage. The Marauder's Map was created by Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and James Potter. The magical map not only shows all of the classrooms and hallways of the school, but it shows the grounds at Hogwarts and its secret passages as well. In the films, it also shows the location of anyone at Hogwarts by a dot, unless they are in the Room of Requirement. This map was quite useful to Harry throughout the rest of his years at Hogwarts. The replica I received was printed on high quality parchment paper and was quite large, as it unfolds to a length of 6 feet.

So if you love Harry Potter, you should check out these collectibles at ThinkGeek.

Disclosure: I received the above two products from ThinkGeek to review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own and are my honest opinion of the products.

Rio DVD Review

My family is slightly addicted to movies. Before my two boys were born, my husband and I loved to go to the theater to catch the latest release. However, as our family has grown, we are more selective on the movies we bring our family to see since it can be an expensive outing. One of the movies my boys chose to see this year in the theater was RIO, so I was very excited when we had the chance to review the DVD recently. Here is a synopsis:

As summer heats up, spread your wings and celebrate with the funniest birds in town! The all-new-comedy-adventure RIO comes to Blu-ray and DVD from A Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. RIO brings together vivid characters and colorful backdrops amidst energizing Latin and contemporary tunes, creating the ultimate family-friendly music and dance experience for audiences of all ages. In addition to more than one one hour of special bonus features and materials, consumers will have access to all-new exclusive levels of the smash vido game hit Angry Birds Rio® that showcase your favorite characters from the film!

Captured as a young bird from the wild, Blu (Jesse Eisenburg, The Social Network) is a domesticated Spix Macaw living thousands of miles away from his homeland, Brazil. When his human owner Linda (Leslie Mann, 17 Again) discovers that he is the last male of his kind, they head south to Rio de Janeiro to meet the only other female. But it's far from love at first sight between the socially-awkward, flight-challenged Blu and the fiercely independent, high-flying female, Jewel (Anne Hathaway, The Princess Diaries). Shortly after Blu's arrival, the two rare birds are captured by greedy animal smugglers and find themselves lost in the Brazilian rainforest. Unexpectedly thrown together, they embark on a hilarious and clumsy adventure where they learn about friendship, love, courage and spreading one's wings to fly.



My thoughts: I love watching movies together as a family-especially when I enjoy the movie just as much as my kids. RIO is fun and entertaining. The colors of the characters and scenes are so vivid and eye-catching, and the music made me want to dance (or at least tap my foot to the beat). As you watch RIO you will explore glimpses of the rainforest, as well as Carnival with its magnificent floats and samba music. You will also recognize many of the voices of the characters such as Anne Hathaway, George Lopez, Tracy Morgan, and Jamie Foxx. My boys loved watching the monkeys, who try to help capture Blu and Jewel for the villainous cockatoo named Nigel. RIO is a great family film to watch with your kids, so be on the lookout for it as it comes to Blu-ray and DVD on August 2nd.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the DVD in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own and are my honest opinion.

Exercise Equipment

After having my two boys, it has been hard for me to go back down into my pre-pregnancy weight. There always seems to be so much to do and of course, the boys keep me busy. I just can't find the time to go to a gym. But I have always thought it would be nice if we had some professional gym equipment in our house.

My husband owns a weight bench to help him keep in shape, but I have always wanted a treadmill. When I was younger and would frequent the gym, it was my favorite piece of gym equipment. I am not a huge fan of running outside, but I do not mind running on a treadmill. As I was browsing the different types, I noticed that they have folding treadmills. Although it would be nice if my future dream home had enough space for a treadmill, a folding one would definitely help.

While I have never been a fan of exercise bikes, as I was browsing MoreExerciseBikes.com, I noticed they have a recumbent exercise bike. I wasn't quite sure what a recumbent bike was so I looked it up and realized that I should have taken notice that in the picture of all the recumbent exercise bikes, the seat is in a laid-back reclining position. This is a bike that I could see myself enjoying.

So if my future dream home has enough space in the basement, maybe I will consider creating a mini gym with a treadmill and exercise bike. What type of exercise equipment is your favorite?

Guest Post: Bargain Jill

Everyone loves finding a good deal, coupon or sale. What’s better than a good deal, coupon, or sale, however, is finding a lot of different deals, coupons, and sales easily and quickly. BargainJill.com, a bargain site tailored towards women created by Austinites Dustin and Sharon DeVries, helps viewers do just that.

Bargain Jill features deals, coupons, and storewide sales from across the web. Unlike other comprehensive bargain sites, Jill is a small mom-and-pop business, so only the best deals are shown on quality, brand-name items. Bargain Jill is tailored specifically towards women, featuring items like women’s clothing and accessories, beauty products, home and garden goods, and children’s items. Bargain Jill has a male-counterpart cleverly named Bargain Jack. Dustin and Sharon chose to divide the sites by gender so that men and women could more easily find bargains tailored towards them. They believed men shouldn’t have to rummage through shoe sales and women shouldn’t have to scour through discount hunting equipment.

Bargain Jill’s main focus is saving viewers time and money, so the site is extremely user-friendly. Users can organize deals by deal type, item type, recentness, and vendor store. Speaking of vendor stores, Jill has partnered with over 1,000 well-known stores like Macy’s, Sears, Home Depot, and Toys R’ Us. With Bargain Jill, users can complete large shopping trips easily because of Bargain Jill’s breadth yet organization. A visitor could redecorate their home using the home and garden deals and plain their weekend brick-and-mortar trip using the coupons and storewide sales section. Users can search for a specific item using the searchbar, and if Jill doesn’t have that item, Price Grabber store availabilities and price comparisons will appear. For visitors hoping to have deals delivered to them, Bargain Jill has an active Twitter, RSS, and Newsletter. This is truly a one-of-a-kind website for ladies hoping to save both time and money.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.

MI-DEL Cookies Review and Giveaway

My family loves cookies. So when given the chance to try out MI-DEL Cookies, of course I said yes. What caught my interest is that MI-DEL Cookies are all natural, and as I browsed the nutrition facts on the side of the packages, I noticed that there are very few ingredients.

MI-DEL cookies come in many different flavors. I found them at my local Hannaford Store in the organic section. I bought their Gluten-Free Ginger Snaps and their Swedish Style Vanilla Snaps. Both types of cookies were crunchy and flavorful! And the best part is knowing that they are a much healthier cookie for my family. I am hoping in the future to be able to find their chocolate chip cookies at my local store, since that is my family's favorite type.

Win It: Three lucky winners will receive a coupon to try out MI-DEL cookies for free.

Mandatory Entry: Visit MI-DEL Cookies and then leave me a comment letting me know which product you would buy with your coupon.

Extra Entries:
1) Become a follower of my blog through google connect.
2) "Like" Dealightfully Frugal on facebook and leave your username.
3) "Like" MI-DEL on facebook and leave your username.
4) Follow me on Twitter and leave your username.
5) Follow MI-DEL on Twitter and leave your username.

Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry, as well as your email in one of the comments.

This giveaway will end August 8, 2011 at 11:59 pm(EST). The giveaway is open to US residents only. The winner will be chosen using random.org and will be notified by email. The winner will then have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: I received coupons to review MI-DEL Cookies. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own and are my honest opinion of the products.