Who doesn’t want to save money?  It’s a time and age where most people walk around with iPhones, Blackberrys, and all sorts of other types of gadgets you can call out of.  With mobile phones being the primary source for calling, most people want to nix their landlines. For the small population that continue to use landlines or a line through a VoIP (voice communication over the internet) they have it because they are either old school, trying to save minutes on their mobile phone lines, or have it for emergency purposes, in the case that there is a mobile outage.

Some people like me choose to use internet phone companies like Vonage, but then question the need for it when looking at the phone bill, which clearly shows that is was used for 10 incoming calls, all from telemarketers.

The reason I keep a home line through a VoIP is because of those emergency situations that can happen without a moments notice.  Being somewhat paranoid, I worry that my daughter’s preschool won’t be able to reach me, or something happens to my family and friends that require immediate attention, and they are not able to get in touch with me because of a faulty mobile network. For those days, I keep my home line.  But is it worth the $32.99 that I pay on a monthly basis?

Just recently, while reading about saving money and cutting unnecessary costs,  I learned that my extra phone bill was doing me no good.  So I went on a hunt for an alternative to Vonage and came across a whole plethora of companies that offered either free or discounted phone services, similar to Vonage, but way cheaper.

That’s when I came across Ooma which was another VoIP , but unlike it’s competitors who charged a monthly fee for local calling, Ooma was completely free (you pay applicable taxes and fees for 911). While you have to buy the actual Ooma Telo base which costs $249.99, it pays for itself in less than 9 months.  After 3 years of using Ooma, I would be saving $777.08 (that’s money that could go toward my daughter’s college savings).

Calling and Receiving phone calls in the U.S. are free, but I still have to pay for applicable taxes and fees shown here.

For international callers, like my husband, you can call 70 countries for less than a penny.  For us, this is where our big savings comes in because we spend an average $36 in international calling (via phone card at 5 cents a minute) a month.

Some people find that spending the initial $249.99 to buy the Ooma base might be a little scary not knowing how the system would work for them.  However, calculating the savings that come along with it, most people jump on it without a second thought.  Being a mommy that constantly budgets everything, I definitely consider myself to be in that scary group.

I want to make sure that this product doesn’t become obsolete over the course of the 3 years (when I am suppose to save my largest amount of money) and I want to do enough research to know that company will not go under, like some new tech companies out there.  I find these to be all valid questions a consumer may have and something that immediately popped into my head.

For me, it’s much like buying a hybrid car.  You pay a higher price tag because it has a hybrid engine, but over the course of a couple years, you end up saving a lot of money from fuel, that it pays for the difference of the price tag and then some.

So for the timid, like myself, I noticed that Ooma now offers a risk free trial for 30 days, plus free shipping.  This is a great opportunity to try out the system for free and if it’s not your cup of tea, return it without any questions asked.  If you decide to keep it and 6 months down the line you decide that you don’t need it anymore, you can always resell it on Ebay or Craigslist  for $150 or more.

I tried out some of the Ooma products with my Vonage still intact, and I have to say I was really impressed.  Because I was trying to set-up the Ooma with my Vonage still working, I had an initial mental block during the set-up process, but it was relatively simple after I tried doing it without any distractions (kids screaming, crying, trying to play with the products).

What I love, love, love about Ooma, is that I’m happy to say that I am not suffering from major hearing loss.  For years, I tried ear candling, went to an ENT doctor to do a hearing screening, experimented with alternative methods to clear my ear pathways. It was common for me to be on the phone and say “What?  Excuse me?  Can you repeat that again.  I can’t hear you.”  This happened both on my mobile phone and my home phone.  Once I changed my mobile phone, I couldn’t get over the fact that I could actually hear people out of the phone.  However, with my home line via Vonage, still stayed semi muffled.

The second I put that Telo handset to my ear, I was in ringing heaven.  I could actually hear the rings as clear as daylight and the background sounded like I was inside a sound booth (absolutely no extra sounds at all, almost felt like calling from my dark and quiet closet).  Once I had my friend on the line, her voice sounded like she was sitting directly next to me.  She even asked if I was inside my car because she heard me crystal clear.  It was good to know that the clarity went both ways.

With the Ooma Telo purchase, you receive a 60 day trial period to it’s Premier services which make the Ooma far superior to other VoIP services.  I will have to say, just with the base services (free US calling), your other standard VoIP services have almost everything the Ooma offers (with a monthly fee), which is not a dramatic wow factor to win you over to Ooma.  However, where Ooma has an edge over its competitors is the voice quality, when making and receiving calls.  It really doesn’t matter what the VoIP service provider has, unless you can actually have a good, solid, clear conversation on the phone.

With that being said, Ooma Premier is the forefront in VoIP technology, which integrates VoIP technology with people’s everyday needs.  This separates the professional from the amateurs.  With the Premier, you can link your mobile phone to your Ooma Telo with a bluetooth adaptor and with the more recent hype of using Google Voice as an alternative to phone calling, you can now have access to it on your Ooma system.  Another added convenience is having the ability read your voicemail as text, which is great for people who are constantly on the go, like myself.  There are other features such as Do-Not-Disturb option, Personal and Community Blacklist, and iPhone App for Ooma.  Of course, these added features are not free and come at a nominal fee of $9.99 per month, after the trial period ends.

I really enjoyed trying out the Ooma and after using it for almost 2 weeks, I feel like it’s a good system with a lot of promise.  The services Ooma offers is at the forefront of VoIP technology and integrates features that incorporates many services into one system, which makes people’s lives more simpler.  If you are in the market to save money on your home phone line or want a service that offers features that integrate your mobile phone via bluetooth or iPhone app and have the ability to check your Google voice on a simple system, Ooma is definitely worth checking out.

(Disclosure: A tester was made available to test the products and does not affect my views or feedback of the products.  This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)

If there is one thing that can remove any ketchup stain, pizza grease, and dirt residue, it’s Grandma’s Secret Spot Remover.  It’s compact in size so it’s always ready to go in my bag (as we all know, accidents happen everywhere and anytime).  I came across this remover when I was looking for a spot cleaner that was non toxic (most of the time, I need a spot remover for my children and you don’t want any harsh chemicals getting on them or their clothes).

Not only was it non toxic, it was environmentally safe, biodegradable, and did not contain any chlorine or phosphates.  At first, I raised an eyebrow thinking, “Hmm…Does this really work, like it says it works?”  I hate when you buy something off an infomercial and the product does not do anything that the infomercial claimed it would do (Remember: infomercials have this tiny fine print that says it doesn’t work for everyone, I wonder why?).  Since it was only $3.99 (at Jo-Ann Fabrics), I had to try one out.

Before I even bought the remover, I had a stack of stained shirts and pants that needed some good stain removing.  I wasn’t sure if the spot remover could remove stains that were a few weeks old, but to my surprise, it did!  I love that it does not have a strong odor and it literally takes a drop to remove the stain.  Since I use the spot remover so often, my preschooler learned to use it herself.  She has a bad habit of wiping her hands on her clothes when she eats (I don’t know where she gets this habit because we always tell her to use her napkin) and the last time she spread olive oil all over her dress.  Instead of watching me freak out, she took the spot remover out of my bag and put it on the oiled areas.  When we went back home, I just had to wash it out.  Simple as that!

This spot remover has been my secret for almost a year and I am happy to share it with you!

(Disclosure: I haven’t received any monetary compensation or free products. This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)

Peter Rabbit Organics is my daughter’s favorite shampoo and wash.  We have gone through our fair share of shampoos and body washes, but the one that I consistenly buy is the Peter Rabbit Organics Carrot and Pumpkin Baby Shampoo and Wash.  We discovered this wash when we went to Whole Foods to find an all-in-one product to use for my childrens bath.

Immediately, my daughter pointed out Peter Rabbit.  She was jumping up and down pointing at the product because she couldn’t reach it and I was hesistant at picking it up because if I did, I would have to be prepared to purchase it. Well, I am glad I picked it up because after reading the packaging and the ingredients that it did not contain (the whole saying, “less it better.”) I was completely sold.

In the spirit of “LESS is MORE” I will keep my words minimal and let the pictures speak for itself because it’s the exact reason why it got  our attention.  So here we go!

The reason why my daughter wanted to get it.

The reason I wanted to get it.

 You can only purchase this product at Whole Foods because it is a Whole Foods Exclusive.  I paid $15.99 (every bit of it is worth it).

A couple weeks ago, after we had come back from our two week vacation, my kids were struck with everything under the sun.  My baby woke up crying with a really high fever (103.5 to be exact) and my older one woke at the same time with a really really high fever (105.5-106).  As a parent, you want to make things better for them and also find out the root of the problem.  After trying to lower the fever for a good 24 hours and being unsuccessful, we took both of our children into Urgent Care.

Sometimes I don’t like to take my children to the ER or Urgent Care because I leave there feeling like they didn’t really solve anything.  Of course, the nurse was really shocked to see how high the temperature was with both of my kids, and asked me a whole bunch of questions, but they could not answer any of my questions.  My older daughter kept complaining about her throat, so immediately I thought it could possibly be Strep, and notified the nurse about that.  After the on call doctor examined her, he diagnosed her with an ear infection and could not explain what was wrong with the baby.   He prescribed antibiotics for both of them.

Two full days into the antibiotics, both my children’s fever did not change.  Usually by day two, it should have kicked in and the fever should have dropped.  I called Urgent Care to ask them what I could do and they told me to take them to the ER.  Being highly frustrated, I tweeted about ear infection and natural alternatives, and got a really great tweet from Ear Doc.  After checking out their website, I had to try it out for myself.

Ear Doc is a non-invasive device that treats the problem and not the symptom.  The device is used for a variety of ear related issues such as swimmers ear, trapped fluids and gas in the middle ear, eustachian tube dysfunction, and any earache related problem.  At first, I was a little skeptical because the testimonials were very high praise and there was a lot of fluffy reviews.  As I read more and more into it, especially hearing stories of parents foregoing ear tube surgery because they had used the Ear Doc, I wanted to try it out and tell my friends about it.

By the time I received the Ear Doc, both my children had gotten better from whatever they had, but I tried it out on myself because I had been dealing with some on and off ear pain.  After using it a couple times, I could definitely feel a little of the pain getting better, and oddly I could hear better as well.  For any parent dealing with an ear related issue, whether it’s from swimming on a daily basis or to contemplating ear tube surgery, I would definitely try this safe alternative before making any huge decision.

I am glad to have this device right next to my homeopathic remedies.  When my kids have anything ear related (ear infections), in the future, I will definitely be using it on their ears.  For now, they think it’s a fun toy that buzzes.  The Ear Doc is super easy to use, painless, and compact in size (you can carry it around in your purse).  I always love finding out about alternative options and this one is definitely an option to have in our medicine cabinet.

(Disclosure: Product was provided free of charge to test 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.)

What do you get someone for a birthday, graduation, birth of a baby, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, or any other special day?  Whenever a special occasion comes up, I usually order flowers or some sort of gift basket online.  The last two times I ordered a flower and gift basket, it was through ProFlowers.com.  The reason I ordered through them was that they had great deals (too good to pass up) advertised both online and on the radio. 

From my experience, all my gift recipients were very happy with their gifts, but I never got the low-down, or shall I say a detailed experience about their gifts.  So when I had the opportunity to receive my very own ProFlowers gift, I was pretty excited.  The idea of receiving something was very special because I’m always the one who gives, gives, and gives (don’t get me wrong, I love giving).

I chose to receive the Hibiscus Bonsai which is a great outdoor plant to have.  According to my mom, it’s not a difficult plant to take care of as long as you water it on a daily basis (to some people that could be a difficult task).  I have my 4 year old who aspires to be the best gardener a 4-year old can be.  So although, I have a hard time watering my plants, my daughter is great at doing that for me.

I received the plant in a big and long box.  At first, I was surprised at the size of the box because I was expecting a plant that was much smaller in size (the description said “dwarf” and approximately 12-14″ tall).  However, once I opened the box, I was impressed.  The plant was packed a specific way so that it would be perfect when delivered.  Everything was intact and not even a little piece of soil got out.  I loved that the box was labeled “Live Plant” to indicate to the delivery service to be very careful (FedEx & UPS has the tendency to throw things around).

Once I took it out of the box and removed the packaging, the plant looked very fresh.  There were no hibiscus flowers blooming yet, but the bulbs were present and I could see flowers coming in very soon.  The glazed ceramic bonsai container was perfect in size and color. 

After experiencing first class packaging, prompt delivery service, and top of the line product, it’s good to know what my friends, parents, and relatives are experiencing when they get their gift baskets and or flowers.  My daughters and I are excited to see how “Bella” (the name for our new bonsai) is going to blossom in the coming months. The hibiscus bonsai makes another great addition to our mini garden on our balcony!

(Disclosure: Product 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)

My daughter is a princess and I don’t say that just because she likes to dress up in ballgowns, crystal heels, and matching accessories for all of her outfits.  She is a princess (well not royalty, although we do have royal blood in the family).  From the time she was born, she had princess mannerisms and she continues to do so.

What does every princess need to complete her princess life?  Princess furniture.  When I was watching the movie Marie Antoinette, all I could see was the fabulous beds, armoires, side chairs, and tables.  They looked like they were made out of the finest gold and silver a franc could buy.  So what was my princess missing in her princess room?  You guessed it, princess furniture.

When I was presented with an opportunity to review some fabulous furniture, I had to check to see if they had princess furniture, and of course they did!  Finally, the icing on the cake for my daughter and her imaginery luxury lifestyle coming to fruition.  If you knew my daughter, you would know that this would be more important for her than meeting the Queen, and I mean the real one.

So after sifting through Guidecraft’s online catalogue, I decided to review the Swan Lake Table & Chair Set.  The design which included tiaras, ballet slippers, and a princess theme, immediately got my attention.  The table and chairs are hand-carved and hand-painted, which definitely gives it the custom luxury appeal to it.

All the pieces that came in the box for assembly.

The second time around went really smooth (although, I did get the evil eye from my same UPS man).  It was like spreading butter on a warm piece of bread.  I laid out everything and followed the instruction page, step by step, and had chairs and a table within 30 minutes.  I must stress that you have to follow the instructions.  There is no, “This goes with that, and that goes there.”  Nope. Nada.  When a company makes an instruction page, there is a reason, so you have to follow the instructions for it to go smoothly.  My husband is a “wing-it” kind of guy, so I assembled everything when he was at work.  It saved me from any late night wars with him!

The finished piece all settled into my daughter's play area.

The finished product?  Exquisite.  It was made to fit my little princess.  All I can say is that the chairs and tables have been getting a lot of attention from my daughter, and her old cinderella table and chair set has taken a back seat.  She told me to give it to her little sister and trust me, she doesn’t even want to give her old teething ring to her sister, so this was huge!

My suddenly shy daughter looking away as I take her picture.

I love that the table makes my daughter feel special.  The fine detailing, the pink and sage green color, and the design makes me want to go back to my own princess days.  The quality and craftmanship are superior and it makes sense that Guidecraft has been around for 46 years.  Not only are the table and chairs very adorable, they are functional, durable, and easy to maintain (can I say, a parent’s dream).  Even after a couple mishaps, Guidecraft’s table and chairs exceeded my expectations on my many levels.

(Disclosure: Product was provided free of charge to test 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.)

****UPDATED: GIVEAWAY HAS CONCLUDED.  PLEASE NO MORE ENTRIES****

FOR THE GIVEAWAY

If you would like to have a chance at winning your very own Swan Lake Table & Chair Set you must (mandatory) visit Guidecraft and leave a comment here telling me something else you would like to have.

For Extra entries (please make every entry separate even if you comment on multiple posts):

• Follow @Guidecraft on Twitter
• Like Guidecraft on Facebook
• Follow Guidecraft’s Blog
• Subscribe to Mommas in the House
• Follow @Mommasinthehous on Twitter
• Tweet about the giveaway and link back (unlimited entries)

Giveaway ended July 20th, 2010 at 7:00 pm 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. Open to US residents only.

When you have kids, there’s always a mess that is waiting to be cleaned.  Whether it’s crumbs all over the floor, random cut paper, or dirt droppings from crafty activities, there’s always something waiting to be cleaned.  While there are many methods to cleaning these random things, I am always looking for the easiest, most convenient, and time saving option.  In the past I have used a broom and dustpan, my own hands and some paper, and a Black & Decker handheld vacuum.  They all worked to some degree, but ultimately did not meet my satisfaction because I would always miss something and have to go back and re-clean.  While my Black & Decker was handy, it was not as powerful as I would have liked and I always had to go back and run the vacuum on the same spot over and over again.

Having kids means a lot of mess and no time to dilly dally.  In order to smoothly manuever my way through my daily activities and not waste time, means I need to be time efficient in everything I do.  I don’t have the time to clean my place in entirety on a daily basis and I don’t want to drag out our huge vacuum everytime my child spills something.  Hence, I need something that cleans well and saves me time, which brings me to the Dyson DC31.

I can honestly say I have never seen anything that looks like the DC31.  It looks like a beast of its own and reminds me of something you would see in Transformers.  Very masculine in its appearance but certainly has a sexy techy quality to it too.  The second I pressed the ON button, it went “ZVROOOM.”  My mom was scared by the sound, but I found it to be freeing.  It made me feel like I had complete control over a powerful machine.  In order to try it out, I tested it on my most fussiest micro-fiber couch.  I have a love-hate relationship with my couch because it’s probably the toughest thing to clean, aside from my kitchen floors.  For some reason, if anything falls onto the couch, I can NEVER get rid of it (even the littlest crumbs).  You just learn to get used to sitting on the couch and having the sensation of crumbs or whatever tickling your butt or thighs.

I took the DC31 and put it on the toughest area of my couch and it suctioned everything away.  It was probably one of the most exciting moments I had in a long time, next to my baby crawling and breaking teeth.  Seriously, it picked up everything and anything that I thought was a permanent attachment to my sage green couch.  My daughter and I took turns cleaning our couch and after it was all said and done, it was a glorious moment.  I felt like a soldier that went to war and came back with an accomplishment.  We had a couch that was salvaged and it looked like the day we had it delivered to our home, minus the cushions wearing down from age.

Getting down to the specifics, the DC31: Dual power mode (10 min of high constant suction or 6 min w/70% higher suction), Dyson digital motor (smaller and lighter w/o carbon brushes or carbon dust), Lightweight/Ergonomic (only 2.9 lbs), Hygienic/quick to empty, and ENERGY STAR qualified battery charging system.  I love that the DC31 does not lose suction power as I clean, which means no more going over the same area.  On top of that, it comes with a 2 year warranty.  We all know that even the best of best things can sometimes encounter minor to major issues, so having the security of a two year warranty is always a plus.

Spot cleaning has never been more easier with the DC31.  I also took it on a test run on my SUV where my back seats (near my children) is a disaster zone.  It picked up every particle off the carpet (now only if Dyson could come out with a dual steam cleaning handheld system).  The only negative to some people may be the strong and loud sound.  While it bothered my mom, I actually felt empowered and ready to clean (to each his own).  DC31 was easy to handle, powerful, and time saving.  Everything a mother could ask for!

(Disclosure: Product was provided free of charge to test 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.)

With the whole iPod, iPhone, iTouch, iPad craze, it’s only appropriate that there is iStyle to spice up any iJunkie’s wardrobe the iWay.  I am not poking fun at the iLifestyle, only jealous that I probably should have started an iBusiness to make iCapital.  Okay okay, I’ll stop with my iLingo.  We all know how popular the whole line of iProducts from Apple are.  With that comes a whole other side of small businesses arising to meet the demands of the brand’s popularity. Meet iStyle Originals, a clothing and apparel company for the iGeneration.

iStyle Originals has everything from Adultwear, Nanowear (babies to children), Doggiewear, and Accessories line.  What is their style sense?  You guessed it, iWear.  They took the popularity of iProducts and made it wearable with the use of clever words to represent the iGeneration.  I think their Nanowear and Doggiewear are the cutest must have items, as it doesn’t get cuter than babies and dogs with an iText such as “iCute or iPaw’d” on them.

I was sent an iCuddle Baby Snapshirt and it was iCute at first sight.  Remember, these are not Haute Couture.  They are cute shirts and products to meet the demands of the evergrowing iGeneration.  Very simplistic basic shirts with an iText on them. I put the snapshirt on my baby and it was very cute, but still a little too big on her.  I would suggest go one size smaller for a better fit.  My daughter usually wears 12-18 months, but 6-12 months would have probably been a better fit for her.  The snapshirt came in a cute box made to fit the whole iLifestyle theme.

If you are looking to match your wardrobe with your iPersonality, definitely check out iStyle Originals.  The iCuddle snapshirt makes me want to cuddle my baby even more than I already do, how is that possible? For more info, go here.

(Disclosure: Product was provided free of charge to test 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.)

If there is one thing I always have on hand in my diaper bag, it’s the Bamboo Leg Huggers.  My mom bought these for me when I had my first child and it’s the one thing that I actually use all the time.  They are a must have item in my household, considering the varying temperature in Southern California (our mornings/nights are cold and days warm).  Most of the time my daughters are in tanks, t-shirts, and shorts because it’s regional appropriate.  However, when the clock strikes 5 pm, the weather tends to get a little chilly.  The soft leg huggers are such a life saver because when my daughter says she is cold, I can take those suckers out and she puts a pair on her legs and a pair on her arms.

I love the Bamboo Leg Huggers because they are 100% sustainable, breathable, UV Protective, odor resistent, antibacterial, chemical and pesticide free, and so very comfortable.  It has everything a parent wants and takes out everything a parent doesn’t want!  My daughter loves the leg huggers because she can pick out the designs that represent her style and therefore create her own fashion identity.  My 11month old baby started to wear the leg huggers since she was a newborn and it’s been so perfect and gentle on her knees, while she crawls away on our hardwood floors.

Both of my daughters love wearing their leg huggers.  I too love borrowing them from my daughters on my cold nights from sleeping.  They are super-soft and comfortable, and knowing that they are eco-friendly makes me a very happy mommy!

(Disclosure: This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)