FINISH Review And Giveaway

I have been married for over fifteen years.  In those fifteen years, we have lived in several different homes.  The one we live in now is the first to have a working dishwasher, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited the first time I used it.  It was so nice not to have to wash every single dish by hand.  I still had to rinse them all before putting them into the dishwasher, but that wasn't bad.

I tried several different dish washing liquids in the dishwasher, and they all seemed to do an okay job.  My dishes got clean.  Ryan was tasked with having to put the clean dishes away, and his biggest complaint was having to dry all the dishes before putting them into the cabinets.

I was recently asked to review FINISH Quantum and JET-DRY Turbo.  I had never tried those particular products, so I was interested to see how they would work.  The first time I used the FINISH, I put the little cup into my dispenser as instructed, and it never dissolved.  I found it intact when the cycle was over.  The packaging suggested putting the cup on the bottom of the dishwasher if that happened, so that is what I did the second time, and it worked perfectly.  I didn't rinse the dishes at all.  I just scrapped the big stuff off and put the dishes into the dishwasher.  I was really surprised to find clean dishes at the end of the cycle.  I was sure there would be bits of food everywhere, but there wasn't.  These little cups make dish washing so much easier!  They were even featured on an episode of Designing Spaces.  You can click here to watch the segment that focuses on the dos and don’ts of dish washing.

I also tried out the JET-DRY, and Ryan will tell you that it worked great.  I filled the rinse agent dispenser with the JET-DRY, and the dishes were spot free and completely dry when the cycle was over.   There was no need to dry the dishes before putting them away, which cut Ryan's chore time in half.  I will definitely be buying both of these products in the future.

I am going to give five of you, my loyal readers, the chance to win a sample of both the FINISH Quantum and the JET-DRY Turbo for yourselves.  All you have to do to enter is leave me a comment, telling me about your worst dish washing story.  US bloogers can enter until 11:59pm on Wednesday, December 8, 2010.  Good Luck!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of FINISH and received a sample of FINISH Quantum and JET-DRY Turbo Dry. Mom Central Consulting also sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Is It Possible To Love Doing Laundry?

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Purex. All opinions are 100% mine.

Did you watch that commercial? I literally laughed out loud the first time I saw it. It also made me want to try this product. In fact, the first time I heard about these "all in one" laundry sheets, I wanted to try them. But, me being me, I always forgot to look for them when I shopped. Those who know and love me know that I hate to shop, and having to actually look for a specific product isn't my style.

Until yesterday. I actually went into Walmart looking for these Purex 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets. You see, the other day, I got a pack of the tropical scented ones in the mail to try out. I know, I'm a lucky girl. As soon as I opened the box, the smell hit me. It is an understatement to say that they smelled good. Luckily I had some dirty clothes lying around, so I started a load of laundry. Typically Kasi does the laundry, and while it is nice to not have to do it myself, I end up having to buy twice as much detergent, because she has a little trouble with the measuring cup. And by that I mean that she always puts in way too much detergent. These 3 in 1 sheets will be an easy way for her to use just the right amount.

Anyway, she was surprised when she got home from school and saw that I had done a couple of loads of laundry. The smell that hit me when I opened the box is nothing compared to how clean my laundry smelled. And everything was so soft! In the past, I used just detergent. No softeners, no dryer sheets. I now know what I have been missing! But being a lazy kind of girl, I still won't buy three different products, so I headed into Walmart to see how much these Purex sheets cost. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I can get the refill pack with 24 sheets for only $5, or the starter kit, which comes with 20 sheets and a dispenser for the same price. Talk about affordable! I also love that they are so easy to use. There is no measuring, and all you have to do is throw them into the washer, and then transfer to the dryer with the laundry. That's it.

The reward for all that hard work is soft, great smelling laundry. Kasi is going to love using them, and you can, too. In fact, you can get a free sample for yourself.

It's A Rare Thing

It doesn't happen often, but my entire house is clean. I got up around 7, and have been cleaning all day. I think I have a few more loads of laundry, and then I'm done. I dusted, scrubbed floors and the bathroom, vacuumed, laundry and dishes. I found my desk, I knew it was under here somewhere. It's a nice feeling, knowing there is nothing else to do. At least nothing inside. My yard is another story.We are all finally feeling better. Tummies are a little uneasy, but nobody has puked in a few days. YEAH! We are going to visit my brothers church tomorrow and I'm excited. I wish Junior would come with me, but he won't. Right now he's in Jonesville working on the fire trucks again, and I have no idea how late he will be coming home tonight.I peeked at the Heads or Tails for this week, and it's explore. It's a good thing I have a few days cause I got nothing. Usually something will jump out at me, but not this time. I hope I can come up with something decent.I finally got the call the other day about St. Lukes. Junior and I both go on Tuesday, and the woman I spoke to said we could be sitting up there for hours. HOURS! I guess I can't complain, it's free health care. I wish Junior's job offered more reasonable coverage, but they don't. Just covering Junior and I, and not the kids, is crazy. We wouldn't be able to live on what he would bring home. It's insane.Anyway, I'm off to check on everyone's blogs. And I want to find out how to make my own buttons...

Construction Zone...Hard Hat Required

Today was quite a day. Del made a few changes. He decided to move the stand back, farther away from the road. He hired a flat bed tow truck to come move the shed we keep all the produce in. I was so nervous. I couldn't watch. We were already set up, so we had to move all the tables and coolers out of the way. They were bunched up in the middle of the yard, and people still stopped. Or should I say, we sat there with no customers until Junior went to get me lunch. As soon as I started to eat, people stopped. And more people stopped. I never did get to eat hot food. Anyway, once the building was moved, Del decided to have gravel delivered to make a parking lot. They got two loads in, and will be back in the morning to deliver the rest. I won't have to go into work until Del calls. There is no point me going over if I can't set up. Maybe that will give me the chance to do some laundry and housecleaning in the morning. Even with all the craziness, we still made over $200 today. Not bad.I am tired. And hot. I just can not cool down. I haven't been able to shower yet cause Junior has been getting ready to go to work. Maybe that will help. I wanted to swim, but it was thundering when we got home. Hopefully we'll be able to swim in the morning a little.I really have nothing else to say. I'll be back tomorrow.

Crabby Kids

It was raining when I woke up this morning, and my first thought was, "great, I get to be stuck in the house with the kids". Then I thought, "this could be a good day to clean". So I start doing dishes and laundry, and the sun comes out. Turns into a beautiful day! If only someone had told the kids.Nicole dropped off Faith, and she was fine. The kids get ready to swim, and I see Faith about to spray sunscreen in her face. I tell her no, and to give it to me. That was the beginning of the end. I was hit and kicked and screamed at, and nothing I did helped her to calm down. I had to call Nicole to come get her. I felt sooooo bad. I've called a few times to check on her, but haven't gotten an answer. I hope she's okay!Me and mine spent most of the day in the pool. Junior and Ryan fished with Grumpy for a little while. They got back aroung 1:30, and as soon as my three are in the pool together, the fighting starts. I would love to have one day of peace and quiet! So I send everyone to change and tell them not to come out of their rooms. Except Boo. She was the good kid today. We stayed in the pool a little while longer, then I cooked chicken on the grill. Now I'm tired from being in the sun all day. Ryan and Kasi are doing extra chores without being asked because they want to get back on my good side. Who knows. I might just let them back.Someday......

Mixed Blessing

Good evening! I have been busy, busy, busy. Got up around 8, showered, fixed lunch and snacks for the kids, feed kiddos breakfast, and off we went. Paid the power bill on the way to work. Yeah, we will have lights for one more month! Okay, seriously, I'm in a mood. A good mood. I've been cleaning, cleaning, cleaning since I got home. It feels good to have the ENTIRE house clean at one time! Not that I expect it to stay this way long! Anyway, Nicole and I had a talk today and I will no longer be taking Faith with me to work. This is my mixed blessing. I hate to dissappoint Del, (who was very understanding, by the way) but I like the idea of hanging around the house a little. I have not had time to sit and relax lately. The kids are happy since they will get to enjoy the pool more often. I will not get behind in the housework, I can enjoy my kids, and I will still be able to work evenings for Del. It all works out! I started a new book yesterday. It's the newest Mary Higgins Clark called "I've Heard That Song Before". So far it's okay. I'm not too into it where I can't put it down, but it has my attention. I still have the newest Dean Koontz, but I want to wait to read that one until I can devote one whole day to it. Maybe a Sunday soon. Father's Day is this weekend. We will be stopping by my dad's, Junior's dad's, Del's, and then the kids want to do something special with Junior. We'll probably go out to eat somewhere. Maybe even do a little fishing! I know Junior would love that!

Baby Steps

I'm making progress. I was up most of today. I went and paid some bills with Junior this morning, but didn't get out of the car. Just being in the heat wiped me out. I slept for about 3 hours this afternoon, which means I will probably be up most of the night. I don;t want to take any more NyQuil, I still feel a little woozy from the dose I took Saturday. I do not do well with medicine at all. Anyway, I didn't go to Del's today, and I'm not sure if I'll go tomorrow. I did have Faith, but since we were in the car all morning, I didn't have to do much with her. Ryan was in Columbia with Del, so we just had the girls and they were all sooooo good for me. Kasi watched Brandi while I napped. Yesterday Junior and Ryan went fishing and it cost me 5 bucks for Kasi to babysit while I slept. Today she didn't ask for money and I didn't offer. The kid is getting expensive! I have a wonderful husband who takes care of me while I'm sick. That said, my house is a mess! It looks like a tornado came through. When I got up this morning, the girls were eating waffle sticks. They wanted cereal, but all the bowls and spoons were dirty, so instead of washing some, they ate something else. Insane! I have dishes piled to the ceiling waiting for me. It amazes me that it doesn't occur to any of them to wash them. I guess I shouldn't complain, they did let me rest for 2 days.I really don't have much else to say. Being stuck in bed sucks, and it's boring. I still can't take a deep breath, but at least I'm not coughing up a lung every 5 seconds. Maybe I'll have more to say tomorrow.......

Lots To Say Tonight

Today was a super busy day! I had to catch up with the laundry, which is all folded and ready to be put away in the morning. We finally have a roofer coming in the morning and I had to paint all the boards they will be using to fix the back of the house. Doesn't sound too hard, but there were a lot of boards and I had to do both sides. Thanks to Nicole who stayed and kept me company! The kids swam most of the day, I was painting beside the pool. I put sunblock on myself this morning before we went out because I am getting really dark and my face is actually starting to hurt! My lips are sooo dry!As most of you know, I put Sally and her kittens outside a week or two ago. All her babies are now gone, except Bear, who is inside. It has also been a week or so since I have seen Claire's litter. She keeps hiding them. While in the pool with the kids last night, we see Claire come out of the basement. Sure enough, her babies are in there. This morning, they are gone again. The kids find them under their outside toy bins. So while we're in the pool, I see Sally walk by with one of Claires kittens in her mouth! No wonder she was hiding them! Claire chased down Sally and got her baby back, but who knows where they will be tomorrow.I have had a breakthrough moment this past week that I haven't yet mentioned. I took a big, no huge, step on Sunday. This may sound silly to some of you who have never had a weight problem, but it was the first time I have worn a bathing suit in front of my mom and my sister. I guess I have finally accepted the fact that even if I keep it covered, people still know I'm fat. So why not enjoy myself and not be miserable. I would normally sit in the yard and watch the fun in the pool. It was great to be in on the fun with Carson in the pool. I'm not ready to wear my suit in public yet, but maybe I'll get there. I think it's more of a boob thing than a fat everywhere else thing. Who knows.Tomorrow it is back to selling produce. After Faith leaves in the afternoon, I will spend most of the rest of the day up at Del's. I'm almost finished reading my book and have nothing new to read. So, I rejoined a book club and am expecting some new books in the next week or two. I don't have the last two DEan Koontz books, so I ordered them and am very excited to read them. I think I ordered a Stephen King and the new Mary Higgins Clark. I also ordered the 6th James Patterson book. You know, the Woman's Murder Club books. They should keep me reading for a few weeks anyway.I found time today to browse through some blogs that are linked through the ones I read every day, and I was touched by them all. These women are so strong and amazing. I wish I could link you to Carole's, because she is an amazing woman. I am learning so much about CDH. I thank God every day that my children were born healthy. I honestly don't know if I could face what these mothers have. They are inspirational, to say the least! If you want to read Carole's story, click on my link to Terra. Go to her March entries and you can link to Carole through one of them. If you do, have a box of tissues nearby. Trust me, you'll need it!I guess I've written enough for tonight. Sweet dreams to all!