Review | TheSuburbanMom

Iron Man 3 Spoiler-Free Review

May 1, 2013 By jen 2 Comments

Action? Check. Interesting plot? Check. Humor? This is Iron Man and Tony Stark delivered, so double check.

Iron Man 3 – just as good as I hoped it would be. A definite must-see. (Because it is a must-see, I will take extra care not to spoil the movie.)

Iron Man 3 Movie Poster

When a new evil force threatens America, and more importantly those Tony Stark loves, Iron Man once again sets out on a mission to save the world. Putting on a brave face, he publicly challenges the terrorist called The Mandrin to come and get him, but privately he finds himself much less confident in his own abilities still haunted by his brush with aliens and Gods in The Avengers.

Channeling my inner nerd, I have been excited to see this movie for months (just as excited about Thor in the fall and Captain America spring 2014) Marvel and Disney just keep getting it right. With clever plot twists, a harrowing mid-air rescue scene (Barrel of Monkeys!), tons of action, lots of Iron Man suits and a precocious little boy who reminds Stark who he is, this movie has it all. And it left me wanting to go back and re-watch Iron Man I and II and The Avengers. (Although not enough to sit through an entire Iron Man Marathon being held at AMC on May 2 and Cinnemark on May 3. I think I will stick with Netflix.)

Does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Tony Stark Iron Man 3

While Tony Stark struggles with inner questions about his abilities and the crippling fear that he is “just a man in a tin suit without any real superpowers,” Iron Man 3 opens the door to larger role played by supporting characters who led him down a path of discovery.

As a fan of Pepper Pots, I was happy to see that her role in the Iron Man series continue to grow. In Iron Man 3 she finds herself playing the part of a powerful executive, the damsel in distress, and ultimately a hero all within one movie. Go Pepper!

However, it is a small boy, Harley, who is ultimately the one who is able to help Tony Stark see past his issues and get back to basics. Reminding him to do what he does best, tinker, Harley helps Stark find his inner strength and rediscover his purpose as Iron Man.

Upon saving the world, yet again, Tony Stark is literally and figuratively left a changed man when he answers the question — It is the man who makes the suit.

To take the kids or not to take the kids?

With people regularly being blown up and an overall darker tone, Iron Man 3 is decisively more violent than it’s predecessors. My daughter is more into rainbows and butterflies, so clearly it is not a movie for her. However, a friend had her five-year-old son in the audience when I saw the movie. While he reported that he liked the movie (while clutching an Iron Man mask), mom admitted that it did not hold his attention. My recommendation is for older kids.

I was invited to a media prescreening of Iron Man 3, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

John Frieda: Protecting My Hair And My Color Without Grease

May 1, 2013 By jen Leave a Comment

This post brought to you by John Frieda. All opinions are 100% mine.

I have thick hair. Thick hair. The kind of hair that makes every new hairdresser who does my hair comment over and over. I love my hair. Not in a braggy way, but in a it-is-my favorite-physical-feature kind of way. (In case you were wondering, my least favorite feature — my skin.)

My days as a natural blonde have faded, although it lightens nicely in the sun, so I have taken to semi-regular highlights. Plus for some reason my hair decided to get wavier with the birth of each kiddo. Not curly. Not even soft flowing waves, just kind of kinky wavy. To achieve straight, blonde locks that means the blow dryer and straightener are my regular tools. So my hair takes some regular abuse.

The Suburban Mom Hair

All that heat means that my hair need some extra love, but here is something else about my hair — it is super oily. So while I need a shampoo/conditioner to add extra moisture to the ends, it is a delicate balance between moisture and grease. The latter, is unacceptable.

Since I am constantly on the search for the right balance I was thrilled when John Frieda sent me a ton of new products to try. (I won’t have to buy shampoo/conditioner for like a year! LOL.) Years ago, I used to use Sheer Blonde. I don’t remember why I stopped, but I was excited to try it again. I received the following products to try:

Sheer Blonde Shampoo/Conditioner
Full Repair Shampoo/Conditioner
Full Repair Deep Conditioner
Frizz-Ease Shampoo/Conditioner
Luxurious Volume Shampoo/Conditioner

Top two things I look for in a shampoo/conditioner – performance (including no grease) and smell (I am a sucker for yummy smelling products). John Frieda products have both.

John Frieda Shampoo Conditioner

The Smell Test

Even though John Frieda products are available at the store, they smell like salon quality products. Not fruity and flowery like many brands, they have that professional, just stepped out of a salon smell that I love. The smell test won me over on all four product lines.

Performance

I am happy to report that all of the products were lightweight – no grease. That means I can (and will) use them all. My favorite lines were Sheer Blonde (hello, I need all the help I can get to keep my color) and Intense Repair, which left my hair super soft feeling. In fact, I had been actively looking for a deep conditioner, and I have now called off the search. I love the feel of the Full Repair Deep Conditioner.

Let’s review – John Frieda products smell great. They leave my hair soft and shiny, but not greasy. They protect my color. And they are affordable – available at Walmart. Yep, I am a new fan.

Learn more about all of the John Frieda hair care products by watching video tutorials and product videos online.

No More Pump Yuck With The Lysol No-Touch Hand Soap System

March 27, 2013 By jen 6 Comments

Do you know what is gross? The underside of the pump on the hand soap in my daughters’ bathroom. Wanna see what I mean? (You probably don’t, but I am gonna show you anyway.)

Gross Dirty Hand Soap Pump

Yuck, right? And I cleaned that last week. I clean it every week. How does she manage to get her soap dispenser so gross? (There is even more grossness on the bottom of the bottle because she slops water everywhere when she washes her hands so the bottle sits in yucky water and well… yuck!)

When I was asked if I would like to try a couple of the LYSOL No-Touch Antibacterial Hand Soap Systems, I knew exactly where I would put it. Maybe if she doesn’t actually have to touch the soap dispenser… maybe.

I set up the new system while she was at school, and when she came home (and was immediately sent to the bathroom to wash her hands, cause that’s what we do in this house), I heard her exclaim, “Mommy! What, is that?”

She thought it looked cool, but had no idea what to make of it. When I slyly slide my hand under it without a word, she gasped, “That’s so cool! I wanna try.”

Lysol No-Touch Hand Soap

We had a quick chat about NOT putting hands or things under it just to see the soap come out that she could only use it when she needed soap (because I feared her going through an entire bottle just because) and then she proceeded to get some soap and wash her hands. It was all very exciting for a 5 year old.

Here is what is exciting to me. It has been a week since I put the LYSOL No-Touch system in place and no grossness! Yeay!

The system works so well, I think I am going to put another one in the kitchen. I think it would be perfect for food prep.

The one drawback is that while the soap containers are replaceable, they are not refillable. As a budget- and eco-minded shopper, I am not a fan of buying and disposing of the soap containers. I buy giant jugs of soap and refill the containers around the house. Refills for the system retail for $3.99 each or $7 and change for a two pack. That’s far more than I normally spend on soap.

So from the moment I opened the package, I began contemplating how I could monkey with the thing to refill it. As soon as we finish the first bottle, I am going to test a couple of ideas. I am pretty sure it can be done.

In the mean time, I am happy that there is no more yuck under the pump and my daughter is thrilled with her soap dispenser. I also think the No-Touch dispenser will be fun when baby girl is ready for potty training (gasp!).

Kid Who Touches Everything Contest

To celebrate kids and the messes they make, LYSOL has launched the Kid Who Touches Everything Contest, which invites moms nationwide to submit photos of their child’s messiest moments. One grand-prize winner will be selected to receive a family vacation to Disney World and have his or her photo featured on Lysol.com.

Throughout the contest, category weekly winners will be randomly selected to be featured on Lysol.com and Lysol’s Facebook page. Categories include:

Future Artist
Food Fanatic
Mud Madness
Young Explorer
Critter Kid

No purchase necessary. Contest runs through 5/25/13. Open to US residents age 18+. Void where prohibited. Visit Lysol.com/kids for the contest rules and regulations and to submit a photo of your child. You can also check out examples of messy activities for the whole family.

So what does the underside of the pump in your kids’ bathroom look like? I dare you to go look. This is mine now.

Clean Lysol No-Touch Hand Soap

I participated in a campaign on behalf of MomCentral Consulting for LYSOL^®. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for participating.

A Quick Snack For Moms: DOLE Fruit Crisps

March 25, 2013 By jen 6 Comments

Fruit cups have long been a lunchbox staple for kids, but not something you would catch moms snacking on. They are a kid food, right?

Fruit cups have grown up.

DOLE Fruit Crisps are the mom version of the fruit cup. Yummy fruit in three delicious flavors — Apple Cinnamon, Apple Pear and Peach with a crunchy oat topping. The fruit cup for adults.

Dole Fruit Crisps

This mom liked them, but what would my friends think?

In celebration of my daughter’s special day, I had a big birthday bash planned. All of my mom friends in one place sounded like the perfect time to offer DOLE Fruit Crisps samples. Because you know the only time moms have to get together is when we get our kids together.

Dole Fruit Crisps Samples

I was surprised that most of my friends had not previously seen Dole Fruit Crisps, I know they have been available for a while now. We’ve even had them before, but I was excited to introduce them to something new.

Everyone was impressed by the flavor options and the addition of the crunchy topping. Each had their own favorite flavor. (Mine is a toss up between the Apple Cinnamon and Apple Pear varieties.)

The big debate: Snack or desert?

Although sweet like a desert, and tasty like an indulgence, we all decided they are a snack. After all, they are found in the grocery store with other canned fruits and snacks — not the desert aisle. Plus with only 160 calories, they are snack sized. And because they are easy and quick, they are a simple way to squeeze some fruit into mid-day snacking. (Which I am totally guilty of!)

During the party, the Dole Fruit Crisps were served at room temperature (well, outside temp). But they can also be served warmed (about a minute in the microwave – just remember to remove the foil cover first) or chilled. And like its kids-snack predecessor Dole Fruit Crisps can be eaten directly out of the cup.

The moms were impressed Since they come in two-packs, there were plenty of samples to go around (the kids had their own treats), and everyone was happy to take home extras.

Dole Fruit Crisps Sample

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Dole. I received product samples to facilitate my party and review, and a promotional item to thank me for participating.

The Parking Spot: Helping Make Spring Break Travel Smooth

March 19, 2013 By jen 7 Comments

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Parking Spot for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Remember when spring break meant a trip with your girlfriends to a tropical location with late nights and a bit of craziness? The last time I went on a real spring break with the girls we were seniors in college, and it was a cruise. Spring break – whooo hooo!!!! Ahhhh how times have changed. That was 10+ years, 3 weddings and six children ago (not for me, for all three of us). Good times.

Spring break 2013 may not have been the wild time it was back in the day, but it was just what mom needed — a little girl time.

Somehow both of my college roommates, both native Floridians, ended up living within 30 minutes of each other in DC/Maryland in the last year. So I decided it was time for a trip north to visit my girls and meet their babies (ages 2 months and 8 months old).

Since babies fly free, I decided to take baby girl (16 months) with me. Ohhh I was nervous about traveling with a toddler. I needed everything to go smoothly. To keep things smooth, I carefully planned every detail including coordinating flight times around nap times.

One detail I didn’t have to think about was airport parking. We always park at the same place when we fly – always. We park at the “polka dot bus place,” better known as The Parking Spot, but affectionately named by my daughter. We have parked there so many times, it is part of flying. Not only does it have the cutest buses (a perk my daughter loves), but at Orlando International Airport it is the closest parking lot (off airport property), everything is clean and things always run smoothly. Just what I needed.

Like clockwork, baby girl and I cruised into The Parking Spot an hour and half before take off. Within 10 minutes we were parked, on a bus and headed to the airport. No circling for a parking spot or wasting valuable time waiting for a bus, The Parking Spot is run like a well-oiled machine. We were pointed directly to a parking spot, and by the time the car was parked a bus was waiting behind our car. (We actually held things up getting all of our gear going!)

TIP – Whenever parking at The Parking Spot, I always take a picture of my parking spot and card. Just in case I lose the card with my parking spot number on it in my travels — it has happened before.

The Parking Spot

Another reason to love The Parking Spot — the price. Parking at the airport in Orlando is $17 per day, at The Parking Spot open air parking is $8.95 per day or $11.95 per day for covered parking. Even better, you can almost always find coupons to save even more. I regularly see coupons for The Parking Spot in the ValPack and within in-flight magazines for 20% off or a flat $7.95 per day for open air. I always save those coupons when I see them, just in case a flight comes up.

Save even more by joining the Spot Club, The Parking Spot’s rewards program, where you can earn free parking. I love being rewarded with free parking.

As an added bonus, you can even treat your car to a little TLC while you are gone by adding a detailing package to your airport parking reservations.

Luckily for me everything went smoothly on our trip — including the flight with toddler. Of course, my spring break with the girls was fantastic. It is amazing how 10 years feels like 10 minutes when you get together with good friends. The laughter and conversation picked up like we have been living together all this time. But instead of bikinis on the beach, we were three moms holding our babies — it was perfect.

Flying With a Toddler

The flight home wasn’t quite as smooth, with a very tired toddler on my hands I was exhausted by the time I landed. On autopilot, I made my way to The Parking Spot bus stop to wait. I was happy to see the familiar polka dots coming around the corner moments later. We were headed home. Tired and happy.

One last perk when staying at The Parking Spot. When you leave, cashiers always present you with a cold bottle of water — just what I needed!

The Parking Spot Perk

The Parking Spot is a national chain with 34 facilities at 22 airports. Do you have The Parking Spot at the airport you travel out of most frequently? If so, check it out next time you fly for no-hassle airport parking.

Find The Parking Spot on Facebook and on Twitter.