How much is your mobile phone bill?  For me, it pretty much rivals my car insurance premium, so at a money standpoint, it doesn’t look smart (I pay a high premium for living in the beautiful city of Los Angeles where most people can’t drive).

For years, the one reason that kept my mom from getting a smartphone was the additional costs associated with it (you know, the data charges).  She wouldn’t be using much of anything and still have to pay for everything.

With money-savvy customers in mind, like my mom, T-Mobile introduced the $50 Monthly4G plan where you get unlimited talk, text and web (first 100MB at up to 4G speeds and no annual contract).  If you’re not much of a talker, but want to maximize your web usage, then you can opt for the cheapest plan which is $30 and includes 100 minutes of talk time, unlimited text, and unlimited data (first 5GB at up to 4G speeds).

After hearing about the $50 plan from my aunt, my mom quickly signed up and got herself a smartphone.  The best part was that she actually saved $10 off her monthly bill with unlimited everything (her previous plan only included talk time).

As I was contemplating my own switch, I found out about the Walmart Family Plan (monthly post-paid and no annual contract).  For only $45, you get unlimited talk, text and web (at up to 3G speeds).  If you’re a 4G user wanting to maximize your speeds up to 4G, then you may want to pay that extra $5 for the Monthly4G plan.  But if you’re looking to get your foot in the door and try things out, then this is the plan for you.  Plus, it’s only an additional $35 to add a line, so it’s perfect for a family.

As a T-Mobile user, I’ve definitely had my ups and downs.  But every time I’m about to call it quits, they come out with a better plan that saves me even more money. For now, I’m going to call T-Mobile and go through all my options (including the Walmart Family Plan).

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!  Hope your 2012 is filled with love, happiness, health, abundance and everything in between.  I look forward to this new year and can’t wait to see what’s in store for all of us.

HotPants is all the craze with women all over the world.  Why?  Because women are losing weight and seeing results.  Just read what people are saying on their Facebook page.

As women, we all know what cellulite is?  Whether you have it or not (and most of us have it, small or large), it’s unappealing and unattractive.  HotPants has Celu‐Lite™ technology imbedded in the pants so that while you are wearing it, you are working on smoothing out those dimpled thighs.

Just recently, I received the HotPants to try out.  The pants I received were a size small which were too big for me (it was loose in the stomach and my upper thigh area).

To start out, I have nothing to lose in the weight department.  However, cellulite which is not usually apparent, sometimes creeps up in certain bright light situations.

At first, I had to get use to the feeling of wearing form fitting shorts that were thicker in material than normal.  Because the shorts were loose and the fact that I really didn’t have any inches to lose, I couldn’t see any noticeable differences after a week.

One thing that was apparent when wearing the shorts was that my bottom and upper legs were sweating (release of toxins).  Since the nights were getting cold in our home, I wore the shorts to keep myself warm (and it worked).

The shorts gave a sauna effect which essentially releases the toxins in the body.  I think if I’d wear it consistently it would probably release any clogged up toxins on my the back of my thighs.

The science of it makes sense for me, so if you are looking to lose some inches and weight then I think these pants could definitely help you.

(Disclosure: The pants were provided free of charge for review purposes, in conjunction with the Mom Bloggers Club, and does not affect my views or feedback of the product.  This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)

We’re moving towards 2012 and it’s all about you, You and YOU!  In conjunction with “The Mommy Diet“, how about giving your nails and toes the VIP treatment.  We all know that nice looking toes and nails are essential to any little outfit, whether you are dressed up or down (it’s the icing on the cake).

Recently, Julep Maven (a monthly membership program by Julep) sent me an introductory “Classic With a Twist” Maven Box.  Although, I’m not a fan of the monthly membership programs out there, with the New Years approaching, I was open to trying out new things.

In general, I usually stay away from nail polishes because of all the toxic chemicals they contain (plus, I hate the smell).  However, once I found out that these were free of carcinogens (formaldehyde or formaldehyde resin, toluene and DBP), I had to try them out.

First, the intro box was well packaged in a red box (it’s kind of like that feeling when you get the blue Tiffany box).  Not knowing what was in it, brought an element of excitement and surprise (all my inner girlies came out to play).

My box contained two nail polishes, Facial for Hands Glycolic Hand Scrub and some samples.  The glycolic hand scrub was divine and after giving my hand that much needed facial, it felt like a baby’s bottom.

The two nail polish colors I received were Whitney and Nicole.  The colors were not my cup of tea (more-so my mom’s, I personally like Kim and Juliette) but they glided on nicely.  Now if Julep can work on getting rid of that smell that all nail polishes seem to have, it would be the perfect polish.

The cost of membership is $19.99 a month and you get over $40 worth of products in each box.  The best part of this program is that it’s customizable to your needs.

Every month, you’ll have products curated for your own Sneak Peek Box.  If you don’t like what you see, you can request another “shelf pull” (I like this option because unlike some programs, you’re not forced to have something you don’t like, in my case, it would have been the nail colors).

You also have the option to share your Sneak Peek Box with another girlfriend.  So let’s say your friend’s birthday is coming up, you can sign into your account and send it as a gift (totally worth it!).

On top of all those benefits, you can skip a month for free and be rewarded with a $15 gift certificate for referring your friends.

So if you want that VIP treatment every month or simply use it to give a VIP treatment to someone else, the membership is definitely worth it.

Now to the best part, one of my lucky readers will win a Julep Maven intro box of their own by entering below.  If you can’t wait for the giveaway to end or want to try it out asap, enter the code “MOMMASINTHEHOUSE” to receive your first Sneak Peek Box for just $5 (valued over $40).

For your chance at winning , please tell me what you like best about the Julep Maven program.  Please comment below.

For additional entries (each entry must be a separate comment):

• Follow me on Twitter
• Tweet about the Giveaway
• Subscribe to Mommas in The House

Giveaway ends January 8, 2012 at 11:59pm PST. Please make sure you leave a valid email address so that we can notify the winner. We will notify the winner, and the winner has 48 hours to respond. If the winner fails to respond within that time period, we will choose a new winner.

(Disclosure: An intro box was provided free of charge for review purposes and does not affect my views or feedback of the product.  This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)

Picture from Toys for Tots website (www.toysfortots.org).

Tis the season to be jolly and Christmas is only a few weeks away.  If you are celebrating Hanukkah, the festivities begin on December 20th and ends on December 28th.

With Christmas getting closer and closer, my daughter is doing her own countdown to the big day.  Like any other child, she is looking forward to her gifts, but she is really looking forward to spending time with family and friends.

This time of year, I see more and more homeless people on the streets and I hear stories of parents who are heartbroken because they are going to be evicted following Christmas.

A time that has to do with joy, happiness and family is not the reality of many people across the country.  With the economy hitting rock bottom in recent years, people are just merely trying to stay afloat.  So for many families, buying gifts for their children is not something they can even consider or think about.

Just today, my daughter’s school had a holiday shopping event.  During recess time, the kid’s were taken to the courtyard to purchase some gifts and my daughter was the only child without money (her teacher’s assistant forgot to tell her that the money was in her backpack).  Anyways, she was crying so hard that the parent volunteer gave her some money to purchase a gift.

The feeling that my daughter experienced today for a couple minutes will be the reality of many kids on Christmas day (it breaks my heart and I cannot fathom how the parents feel either).  If they believe in Santa, what does this mean for them?  Especially, if they have been good all year long.

If you can’t volunteer on any level or contribute a donation, now you can help raise $10,000 for Toys for Tots.  Savings.com will donate $1 for every “share”  you do on any post until December 20, 2011 (make sure you are a fan on Facebook).  It’s as simple as a click, but it will light up the face of a child who otherwise would have had nothing.

Hope you are enjoying your day with family and friends!  I woke up late (so happy about that) and I got to cook for my little girls.  My older daughter and I walked over to Whole Foods, got everything we needed and cooked ourselves a feast.  I did a little bit of everything today and I am really grateful for everyone that is a part of my life. 

Gardein Stuffed "Turkey", Organic Green Beans, Organic Corn, Multi-Grain Stuffing & 123 Gluten Free Corn Bread

I found this quote on The Quote Garden and wanted to share it with you:

“Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds.” ~Theodore Roosevelt

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I can’t believe it’s almost that time of year when everything seems to go by in a flash.  Halloween has just past and now Thanksgiving is a little over a week away.  The big feast is followed by the 2 biggest shopping events (Black Friday & Cyber Monday) and then December rolls through with Christmas ending the year. 

I feel like we just started the year and now it’s almost over.  This time last year, my best friend visited me from Chicago and we spent the most memorable 2 weeks I will remember, for the rest of my life.  It’s hard not to cry writing this post because I’ve attempted to write about this many times throughout the year and had to stop because I felt weak.

I never would have imagined that my best friend in the whole entire world, who knew more about me than I knew about my self sometimes, would pass away a few weeks after she returned home. 

I so vividly remember her calling me on her visit to her mother-in-law’s in Wisconsin, asking me if I needed anything, as she was going to Walmart to do her Christmas Shopping on Black Friday.

We had the type of friendship where we would call each other, have each other on the phone (not really talk) and go about our daily business (hence I was part of her Walmart shopping experience).  Our relationship was very low maintanence, in that we knew each other so well, it was very easy and organic. 

A week after she completed her early Christmas shopping and finished wrapping all her gifts (my friend was NEVER an early type of person, she was the type who would wrap her gifts on the way to the Christmas party or in the driveway), her time came.

The end of last year seemed like a never-ending chain of bad events.  My other close friend was in a back to back car accident, followed by my own car accident and then finally, my best friend (which ultimately ended her life).  Her 1-year anniversay is December 6th.

With Thanksgiving coming up next week, I am so grateful to have my friends and family and that we are all healthy and well.  Losing a person who was very close to me has put a lot of things into perspective and I am extra grateful this year (moreso, than any other year).

What are you grateful for and what are your Thanksgiving plans this year?  If you don’t have any plans, then try some of these Thanksgiving activities with your entire family.

 Are you going to a Halloween party or trick-or-treating with your children?  I’m sure you’ve already participated in all sorts of activities for Halloween, as it’s no longer a one-day event (for us, it seems like the whole month of October has been dedicated to this one day).

Starting with the pumpkin patch, followed by the school’s fundraiser, then the spooky parties at my daughter’s friends’ homes (along with the other events at malls and stores), and finishing it off with the trick-or-treating in the neighborhood.  Of course, my daughter loves all of it because she gets to be the “queen” for more than just a single day (that’s her costume this year).

Today, we went to A Great Green Play Date at The Pump Station in Santa Monica.  The event had an assortment of fun activities for the children, good booths with products and services (super-cool balloons made by Super Inflated) and of course, I ended up spending some money (I had to buy some products for my kids).  But I didn’t realize I missed half of the event’s offerings until I came back home.  There were some indoor activities with a trick-or-treat trail, the main reason we went there, and since I forgot to look at the map that was given to us, my children completely missed out on it (after my daughter whined that she only got 4 lollipops, I realized my mistakes).

Tomorrow, we are going to hit the pavement hard.  I’m excited that Los Angeles ranked 8 on Zillow’s 20 Best Cities to Trick-or-Treat and my neighborhood Westwood ranked #1.  We are going to try to collect as many candies as possible because my daughter’s school collects the candies and sends them to the troops overseas via Operation Gratitude.  It’s a great way to teach my daughter about having fun and also giving back.

So what are your plans for the day?

Going to college is a huge investment.  But how much will it cost when my kids are ready to go?  I wish I had the magic number.

Just recently, my cousin was sprinting towards the finish line, so that she could send her child off to college.  She had to write letters, meet with the director of financial aid, call the school on daily basis and also put her own finances together.  I’m sure it was stressful and crazy.

Her son is an uber-talented artist and got accepted into a good fine arts college that happened to be in state.  Because he is super-talented, he also got accepted into a top 3 fine arts university. 

The in-state college offered a 50% scholarship and the “top 3″ college offered a 35% scholarship, which pretty much tells you how talented he is.  Even with those scholarships, it was hardly affordable.

Eventually, the in-state college offered more and he decided to go there.

After I saw what my cousin had to go through, I started to do some research of my own.  Even though my kids are 5 and 2,  I want to be prepared for what’s ahead versus waiting until last minute.

I found some really helpful information and I also found out that if your family meets certain income requirements, your child could go to college for free.  Yes, you heard that right!

Recently, I wrote about how you could send your kids to Harvard, Stanford, Yale and Cooper Union for FREE.  I found it fascinating and also reassuring that if I was having any sort of financial hardship, at the time my children entered college, I had options.

Pampers recently improved their Cruisers with the new 3-Way Fit.  Because the three-way fit adapts to the babies waists, legs and bottoms, your baby will be able to play at optimum level, leak-free.  They also added a longer absorbent area and new soft quilted backsheet for maximum comfort.  Let me tell you, when I put the diaper on my daughter, I could instantly see how the leg area fit better.

On top of all the great new additions, now you can even see Oscar the Grouch on the new diapers.  These Cruisers were definitely improved so that the baby can enjoy his or her play experience.  With that in mind, Pampers Cruisers is hosting “”30 Days of Play and Giveaways.”"

If you go to Pamper’s Facebook page and click on the “Pampers Cruisers Sweeps” from the left, you can enter to win everything from an Imagination Station to the Grand Prize which is a year’s supply of Pampers Cruisers and a four-day/three-night trip to Beaches Resorts located in Turks & Caicos or Jamaica (now that’s a Grand Prize!).

And if you couldn’t top that, one of my readers will win an exclusive Pampers Cruisers “Play-A-Palooza” Pack which includes the newly improved Pampers Cruisers with 3-Way Fit diapers, a 64-Count Tub of Pampers Wipes and Hasbro’s new Let’s Rock! Elmo.  I’m so excited for one of my lucky readers because it retails for approximately $100.

UPDATE: Congratulations #52 Laurie Brown for winning the Giveaway

For your chance at winning this prize pack, tell me if you could create the perfect diaper what would that be (design, feel, additional purposes).  Get super creative!  Please comment below.

For additional entries (each entry must be a separate comment):

• Follow me on Twitter
• Tweet about the Giveaway
• Subscribe to Mommas in The House

Giveaway ends October 30, 2011 at 11:59pm PST. Please make sure you leave a valid email address so that we can notify the winner. We will notify the winner, and the winner has 48 hours to respond. If the winner fails to respond within that time period, we will choose a new winner.

(Disclosure: A pack of Pampers Cruisers were provided free of charge for review purposes and does not affect my views or feedback of the product.  This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)