On Star

I have seen the OnStar commercials a hundred times.  There is an accident and the friendly OnStar voice lets you know that help is on the way.  Even my 10 year old son thinks it is pretty cool that they call 911 for you.  But I didn't drive a GM car, so it wasn't an option for me.

Or so I thought.

About a month ago I learned about OnStar FMV.  You can now purchase a rearview mirror that contains the core safety, security and connectivity features of OnStar for just about any vehicle.

Their Facebook page had a tool I used to find out that it was available for my car and it also had all of the information I wanted to know about their available services.

So I had it installed in my car (it took 36 minutes from start to finish, so simple) and this is why.

Like most moms, I spend a lot of time in the car with my kids and no other adult.  I love knowing that if anything happens, help will come even if I can't ask for it.  I also like that asking for help is as easy as pushing a button.  If something were to happen and my kids needed to ask for help, they would be able to push that little blue button and talk to a real live person.

I feel like they deserve a real live person in that situation.  In addition to emergency services they also provide roadside assistance.  And I don't even need to know where I am!  They use GPS technology to send help to you.

In the car I use my cell phone for directions and making calls.  Sometimes I forget my cell phone at home.  Sometimes I put my purse on the floor when I am buckling my daughter in her car seat and forget to move it to the front seat.  Sometimes I don't have service on my cell phone at all.  This happened a lot more than I was comfortable with on our last road trip and even happens around the corner from my house.  Not to mention that looking down at my phone, even just for a second, isn't the safest option. The OnStar mirror offers turn by turn directions and handsfree calling options.  Both require absolutely no eye contact.

It is some pretty cool technology.  The speaker is clear and the volume actually adjusts to levels that a human ear can hear.  I can't say either about my husbands GPS or his bluetooth speaker he uses in his car.  I can look up directions on my computer at home and send them to my car in a matter of seconds,  another thing my hubby's GPS can't do.  And my favorite part...real live people.  Nice people.  Friendly people.  They call me Mrs. Albright and they find the nearest Chick-fil-A when we are on our way home from the swimming hole.

The swimming hole and the polite real live people on the phone both sort of feel like they are from the 50s, but both actually exist in my 2011 life.

Check out the OnStar Facebook page to learn more about OnStar FMV or check them out at your local Best Buy.  You can also check out what other bloggers think about OnStar over on BlogHer and if you want to know more about the swimming hole, you will have to come visit me in Austin.

Flirty Aprons

Have you ever sewn an apron?  It was actually one of the first sewing projects I attempted as an adult.  It actually turned out okay, and I was really happy with it, but the fabric I chose ended up being much to heavy to wear on a regular basis.  And lets be honest, it isn't the easiest thing to make, so I am not going to run out and make a new one any time soon.  Sometimes it is just easier to buy a cute one!

So when I was contacted by Flirty Aprons to review their product I was excited!  I would get a cute new apron and not have to sew it!

They sent me one of their super cute aprons (for free...I love free!) to review.  I chose this cute red and white one, because those would be my two favorite colors:

It came in the mail and I have to say that I really love it.  It is light weight, the pockets are generously sized so I feel like I can actually use them, instead of them just being there for decoration.  And the ties.  They are LONG!  Way long.  At first I thought they were too long, but I realized they wanted you to be able to wrap them around and tie a cute bow like this in the front:

I am more a bow in the back type of girl, so I have to make a cute big bow and it works great.

I also love the size of this apron.  I often feel like aprons are too small for me.  This one has good coverage so I feel like it will actually do the job of keeping my clothes clean while I cook (isn't that what they are for...I mean besides looking cute!) And it has held up beautifully after being washed.  Definately no noticeable fading.  I hate when you throw something cute an new in the washer and it comes out looking super faded or shrinks to half it's original size!  I didn't have either problem with the apron when I washed it in cold.

The only thing thing I don't love about the apron are the bows on the pocket, and that is just a personal thing.  I might snip mine off and either redo them or replace them with a white button or maybe a cloth flower, but really if I am complaining about the cute little bows you know I am reaching!

They have lots of cute aprons to choose from, and not just for women.  They have this grilling apron from men that makes me giggle:

I turn grills on!

And they sell them for little girls too.  This is the one that Lou La loves because she has decided that blue is her new favorite color:

So if you want one of these cute aprons for yourself, Flirty Aprons has generously offered to giveaway an apron to one of my readers too!  Just check out their aprons HERE and leave a comment telling me which one you would like to win.  It can be for you, your little girl, or even your hubby!

You can also check out their  Facebook Page HERE.  If you can find the comment I left, copy and paste it here for a second entry!   If you need a little help, check HERE.

And for a third entry, what are my two favorite colors?

You have until midnight Wednesday, June16, to enter!!  Good Luck!

***Contest Has Ended!  I Will Be Announcing The Winner Soon!***

CSN Store Review (Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker/Stick Blender)

I had a chance to do a little shopping at CSN Stores last month.  They sent me a gift certificate and I spent some time (actually like a week) trying to decide what I wanted to review!  It was a hard choice, because CSN has ove 200 stores to choose from.  LOTS of fun stuff!

I finally decided on some fun kitchen toys that I have been wanting for a while.  The first one was a Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender:

I wanted it for a few different reasons, one of them was because I have been using my blender to make this broccoli soup recipe, when what I really needed was a stick blender.  Of course, it is summer time, so I haven't used it for soup.  But I have used it to chop up veggies for Salsa, nuts for ice cream sundaes, and to make smoothies.  I actually like my blender for Smoothies better, but the kids think the stick blender is more fun!  I still cannot wait to use it for the soup!


My second purchase was a Cuisinart Automatic Frozen Yogurt/Ice Cream/Sorbet maker:

We have already used it twice.  Once to make Alton Browns Vanilla Ice Cream and once to make a Banana Ice Cream concoction of my own (that we LOVE!!)  


Both products are great.  They are easy to operate, easy to clean, fun to look at!  But I was not surprised that they were wonderful.  They were Cuisnart!  I love Cuisinart!


So now I want to tell you a little about my experience with CSN.  I mentioned that it took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to order.  That had everything to do with all of the great choices and nothing to do with their site.  It is organized in many different ways that allow you to browse for products or find just what you are looking for.


They offer the typical product descriptions and reviews that you would find on any online store, but they also give the product a rating based on construction quality and one on frequency of damage during shipping.  Really helpful information when you are ordering online.


The only issue I had was in actually placing my order.  I tried to order the items before I set up an account.  The site kept redirecting me and I never got through the check out.  (This could be a problem with Safari.  I have found a lot of sites, including many Blogger templates, that act up when I am using Safari).  When I registered on the site first, the check out was SUPER easy and quick.


My items came together and were shipped UPS.  They were packaged well, there was no damage, and they came quickly.


I couldn't be happier with my new toys and can't wait to share recipes with you guys using my new kitchen gadgets.


One more thing you should know about CSN:

Go and check out their current contest, Green and Clean, where you can easily enter to win a new bathroom with $10,000 worth of Green products.  You can enter to win HERE and when you do you will get a coupon code for 10% off your next CSN purchase.