Family #GameNight with Hasbro Monopoly Junior !

Well I received another great product to test in the mail today from Influenster and the whole family joined in the fun. The whole family played me, the hubby and the kids aged 4 and 8. The Monopoly junior game is a easier game then the original version with many of the rules and features left out to make it an easier play. Although we had a great time playing as a family I was also pleasantly surprised to see my son and daughter play again and again together over the following days without fighting and screaming at each other. that in itself makes this a priceless commodity in my books. Granted my kids loosely keep to the rules while playing together but they were away from electronics and tv for hours and enjoying themselves so who cares. now I can't wait to try another Junior game.

Impressed with my Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-on Manicure !

So I received another Vox Box from Influenster and this time it was a box containing two impress manicures, a bright orange color and a brown with swirls. I decided to go with the bright orange because it felt more summery and I was hoping it would inspire the weather to improve.

I quickly read the instructions which were  pretty straight forward. 1) Pick out the correct size for each finger. 2) Clean nail with wipe. 4) Remove backing. 5) Stick and press. 

Here are the results. 

So 5 days after applying my Impress manicure here's what I think. 

I really like these. I found them easy to apply and quick which is always a plus. I always like to try the latest nail products and found I prefer these to LED home nail kits because they are still time consuming and the supplies dry out quickly. Also after 5 days all nails are still holding strong and look great. Usually with other manicures by now my nails would look horrible. 

My only negative would be for my nails personally I could have used more of the smaller sizes but I still felt they looked great on. 

Please know I did receive these free from Influenster and Broadway Nails but that did not influence my opinions here. 

Hamilton Beach® Breakfast Sandwich Maker Review

So after playing the Europe's Best  memory contest trying to win one of these bad boys for weeks and coming up empty handed I decided to splurge the 26.88 at Walmart and buy one. Now I have been dreaming of the sandwiches I would make if I won it, brie cheese with pear, denver sandwiches I would never need to enter a fast food establishment again for breakfast ! well sadly that is not the case, don't get me wrong it essentially does what it says and I still give it great marks but it is not the fantasy I had in my mind. Check out my Pro's and Con's below and decide if it's right for you !

PROS
-Small size takes up about the same footprint as a small sauce pan.
-Nice looking isn't a huge eyesore if you want to leave it on the counter).
-Portable it's light weight and compact design mean packing it for the cabin or office are easy.
-Works The product does essentially do what it says make a sandwich in 5 minutes.
-Easy to clean all it took was a quick wipe and you can remove the ring for the dishwasher.


CONS
-Ring size most english muffins I found were to small for the machine giving you an egg that sticks out, kaiser buns and large hamburger worked better.
- Does not cook the meat ! this was to me one of the biggest draw backs I LOVE bacon, I follow a High Protein diet and prefer regular to pre-cooked bacon. That means I then have to cook my bacon or whatever meat prior to cooking my sandwich.
- Taste Fast food sandwiches and homemade still taste better although the eggs are pretty good they still have a slight rubberiness.
-No timer here is another big disappointment why wouldn't you include a simple twist timer at least for the 5 minutes, I found the time make a big difference in egg quality but after getting everything loaded and then going to set the time that 30 seconds I waste  effects the final product.


Verdict ?
Great for places where cooking conventionally are difficult ie. Hotel rooms, on the road, dorm rooms etc. Also good for those who would be intimidated by cooking it in a pan. The taste is pretty good but a bit more rubbery then Mc Dicks. Also if you don't mind pre-cooked bacon or other pre-cooked meats that eliminates one big con and then the timer alone isn't that big of deal. For me I would probably for go next time because if I am already going to have to cook bacon (which I will) I will cook the eggs to because ultimately they taste better and unless you get the perfect size english muffing the egg still doesn't fit in the sandwich anyway.

The Review is in !

So the review is in and I really am in love with Fructis Damage Eraser. I received this product free to review for being a part of Influencers and this was my first VoxBox from them well my first 2 actually as it came in to boxes. The first box I got contained a #MysteryBrand which wouldn't be revealed until a later date after I had tried it and made my guesses. Well immediately after opening the product I was taken by it's great smell tropical but not over whelming. I had 3 products that I received in this first box Shampoo, Conditioner and a split end serum I tried the shampoo and was amazed with the lather which I usually don't have much of from shampoos due to our hard water. Next up the conditioner which immediately gave my hair a softer feel in the shower, once rinsed and towel dried as the directions state I worked the split end serum though my hair. After using the #MysteryBrand on my butt length hair I found it much easier then usual to comb though and it felt super soft when dry almost like when I get my hair trimmed. I was pleasantly surprised that the product didn't give my scalp or skin any irritation as I am sometimes bothered by fragranced products.

So today I received the second VoxBox and it turns out that the #MysteryBrand product was Fructis Damage Eraser A new Fructis Product to the market I receuved 4 full size product this time for FREE again thanks Influenster and #Fructis#Damageraser. And I am excited to know I will be able to soon get this in a store near me !

Mystery Revealed.

So the mystery has been revealed I was checking the influenster facebook page yesterday and the #MysteryBrand reveal has been made ! So what was the product ? it turns out I was wrong and it's not Repair 5 but it is Fructis Damage Eraser !check it out here ( Fructis Damage Eraser ). Stay tuned for my unboxing Video and full review next week. (Once again I was given this product through Influensters for free to test but my opinions our mine).

How to enter contests the right way.

So I was thinking of the things I think help the most as far as winning contests goes and here is what I came up with. 1) Create bookmarks in your browser called Daily, Weekly and Monthly Entry (this is where you will bookmark the contests to enter) 2) Check contest and freebie sites for posting of current contests they will often already have them labelled as far as home many entries your allowed (daily, weekly etc..) making it easy to know which section to bookmark them too. 3) Enter contests everyday to maximize your chances at winning. If you enter all 100 days of a contest once a day you have a much greater chance of winning since many people will only enter once ! 4) make sure not to enter single entry contests more then once this can disqualify you from winning. Below are a list of some of my favourite Canadian contest sites check them out below and good luck !

SmartCanucks
RedFlagDeals

I'm in love with a Mystery

So I couldn't wait and decided to sneak a late night shower in so I could try out my Mystery Brand VoxBox and so far I'm loving it. I used all three products and my hair feels super soft and healthy brushing out was a breeze. My guess is that it might be L'oreal Total Repair 5 because it's one of a few of my favourites and the smell and results reminds me of it. (Full disclosure I was given this product for free to test).

Who doesn't love to Win ?

So one of my favourite things is to do is win things and well who wouldn't. I will admit I am a little bit of a OCD/addictive personality kind of person so I like to find non bankrupting ways to get these needs out of my system and one way I have found to do this is to enter contests online. Now I used to be a bit skeptical that I really had a real chance of winning but after my first win I was hooked. Now I am not as hardcore as some of the contesters out there but I have won thousands of dollars in prizes with no more then a half hour of my time a day while having a cup of tea. Follow us on twitter here for a chance to hear about the latest contest open to Canadians. I will post here what I have won lately as well as tips for winning. Today I will answer a few of the FAQs I always get about contesting.

1) Q. What is the biggest prize you ever one ?
A. I won a trip for 2 to New York to watch the US open, 500$ spending money and a home paint makeover.

2) Q.  How often do you win ?
A. It really depends I would say an average of once every 1-2 weeks but it really depends on the time of year (holidays bring lots of contests) and if I have been missing days entering.

3) Q. What is the best way to win ?
A. Enter as ofter as the contest allows (everyday for daily contests ,weekly for weeklies etc..) and follow the rules no auto-fil etc..

Back from Cancun and ready to go !

So I planned to get to a post a lot sooner but being from Winnipeg and having to injure this brutal winter of -40 Celsius or more temps me and the family decided we couldn't take it anymore and escaped to sunny Cancun (more on the later). Anyways  I couldn't be persuaded to leave the sun and the beach for my room and the computer. So at my resort with brutal Wi-Fi I was checking my email and much to my delight I see an email form influenster saying  I would be receiving my very first VoxBox and I couldn't be more excited ! Part of the reason I decided to start this blog was because I often get asked about a few of my favourite things and that's getting my hands on the latest and greatest things and winning contests. So where and what does a VoxBox have to do with this ? well A VoxBox is a free product I received based on my expertise. This time I have been selected to receive a Mystery VoxBox which means I don't know what i am trying for free which means the reviews will be all the more real. you can check out what I found in the box here.(Pics here !) Now thanks to the great temps here I have to wait for these to defrost but first impressions are smells great almost tropical but not over powering or fake. I can't wait  to try it in the morning I have hair that's half way down my butt so it's obviously something that's dear to me luckily it's a nice size sample to try even for my hair. I'll update tomorrow !
(Full disclosure I was given this product for free to test).

Breadman TR2700 Review

Ok so I tried out the new breadmaker yesterday and have to say I am pleased with the results overall although there were some glitches. I paid 130.99. The breadman TR2700 features :

• Stainless-steel programmable breadmaker bakes 1-, 1-1/2-, and 2-pound horizontal loaves
• Nonstick baking pan; digital display; 24-hour delay timer; 1-hour keep-warm cycle
• 100+ baking options; 16 settings including low carb and gluten free; crust color control
• Automatic fruit and nut dispenser; viewing window; convection fan for excellent results
• Measures 18-3/5 by 11-1/5 by 15 inches

I decided to purchase this model because I liked that it had tons of settings a delay feature and an automatic fruit and nut dispenser.

Here was my expereience I tried several of the recipes included in the recipe book which came with the machine the white bread, caraway rye bead, bagel dough and the banana nut bread I decided to try various sizes and settings to see how each worked.

First I started with the white bread as suggested in the book as it is the most simple I made a 1 1/2 pound loaf and it turned out perfect and within an hour of it being out of the machine my 4 year had devoured the whole inside on the loaf as he is apt to do.

Second I tried the Caraway rye bread in the 2 pound size and the quick method which cuts down the making time by an hour. The bread still tasted good but was much heavier as the book says it might be so all in all I would rather take longer to bake and get a better product then less time with a so-so product. I also found with the larger size that the breadmaker did't mix the dough as evenly ad the loaf was a bit uneven after cooking.

Thirdly I tried the bagel dough as Montreal bagels are my favorite and they are impossible to find in Winnipeg and aren't fresh by the time I get them shipped to Winnipeg. I found the recipe to be easy and straight forward and they took no time at all to boil and bake after the 1 1/2 hour dough course. I sprinkled them with caraway seeds and course salt and they were to die for here is a photo only one survived until morning.

Lastly I tried the banana nut bread which turned out to be banana bread due to the fact that the automatic dispenser didn't dispense which is a little dissapointing since it was one of the features that made me purchase it. The banana bread was great very moist and will definitely be a repeat recipe my 4 year old loved and so did my impossible to please husband.
Here are the pros and cons

Pros

• easy to use even for a newbie like me.
• sleek looking machine with tons of settings.
• set it forget.
• great bread

Cons

• Dispenser doesn't always work
• when making large loafs bread doesn't mix as well and can toss ingredients over edge of pan see picture below for example of how this caused a burn in my machine
• horizontal pans aren't overly horizontal

Welcome to Mad Mom !

So a bit about me, I'm a mostly stay at home mom who does a few casual jobs on the side. I have 2 beautiful children ( 1 Boy (7), 1 Girl (3)) who I love and adore at most times. I'm not a writer as a matter of fact English was my worst and most dreaded subject which I am sure will be obvious by the occasional grammatical error  at some point in time or another. I love the latest things mostly gadgets and tech gear but really anything cutting edge. I have an online shopping obsession but luckily it's mostly window shopping. Why did I started this site ? I wanted to provide honest unbiased reviews of the latest gear wether it's tech, mommy or fashion gear. I also  wanted a place to vent and share with mothers like me that could be a sounding board and not an attack ground. Why Mad Mom? well MAD stands for Modern Artsy Deal-seeker and I will talk about things i am mad about in both a good and bad way. I want to try and keep it positive but I want to make online businesses accountable for their service by sharing stories both good and bad of online retailers. And lastly I want to showcase neat and creative ideas I find online. Thanks for reading and stay tuned !