Tag Archives: P&G

P&G School Supplies

How to Impress Your Child’s Teacher with P&G Household Needs Products

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by P&G as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

When kids hear back-to-school they think about homework and tests.  When parents hear the back-to-school; laundry, filling out paperwork, getting the best teacher, and shopping for school supplies come to mind.

With two kids, 16 and 10-years-old, I’ve had my fair share of back-to-school shopping trips, school registration paperwork, and loads and loads of laundry.  School supply shopping at Costco is one shopping trip my daughter asks to participate in.  She loves picking out colorful pencils and notebooks, and supplies for her teachers.

P&G School Supplies

When choosing supplies for teachers I don’t compromise on quality.  For example, I buy only the best paper towels, Bounty ​Advanced, for teachers, and a couple of years ago began supplying teachers with Swiffer Dusters.  I’ll let you in on a secret; teachers love Swiffer Dusters.  Dust accumulates on bookshelves in your home, right?  Imagine the dust that accumulates on bookshelves and desks in a classroom of 15+ kids!  I can’t tell you how many ‘thank-yous’ I’ve received for sending in Swiffer Dusters.  Swiffer Dusters use thousands of fluffy fibers with Dust Lock Adhesive that traps and locks 3X* more dust than a feather duster on virtually any surface for a great clean (*Common inanimate allergens from cat and dog dander and dust mite matter).

Swiffer Dusters

Can you guess how many paper towels are used in a classroom each day?  I don’t know how many but I’ll take a wild guess.  A bunch!  Dozens and dozens perhaps.  Teachers need GOOD paper towels which is why we give teachers Bounty Advanced paper towels, Bounty’s most absorbent towel* (*vs, National Bounty Select-A-Size).  When poor quality paper towels are used, classroom garbage bins become obnoxiously full.  That’s not fair to the teacher or the students.  Providing your child’s teacher with high quality paper towels ensures students get their hands completely dry before getting back to work and clean up messes on the first try.

Every summer break I tell myself this isn’t going to be the case, but the weekend before school starts is a whirlwind of doing loads and loads of laundry, spot cleaning backpacks, planning lunches, and wiping clean the kids favorite shoes.  To get dingy summer stains out of clothes and to clean new clothes – all clothes for that matter, I rely on Tide Advanced Power and Tide Pods.  I don’t compromise on quality when it comes to laundry detergent.  Tide Advanced Power has advanced whitening technology and color protectors making it Tide’s Best Clean.

Tide Pods

 

Something I didn’t think of until about a year ago is using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to make the whites of the kids sneakers, white again.  What a miracle worker!    Oddly enough, Sebastian and Madelyn aren’t big fans of shoe shopping, thus they wear the same shoes as long as possible.  We all know that after a few months of wear, the whites of shoes are no longer white.

Mr. Clean Magic Erasers

How to clean your child’s shoes with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser:

  • Remove shoelaces if you are going to wipe the entire shoe
  • Wipe the shoes with a damp Bounty Advanced paper towel
  • Dry the shoes
  • Test Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on a small area of the shoe to make sure you get the desired effect
  • Dampen a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (don’t get it too wet)
  • Gently rub on the white of the shoe
  • Let dry
  • Put shoelaces back in shoe
  • Wear a fancy, new-looking sneaker!

 

A checklist: Impress your child’s teacher

  • Put Bounty Advanced paper towels in Mr./Ms. ___________’s school supply bag instead of flimsy generic paper towels.
  • Give Mr./Ms. __________ a Swiffer Duster starter kit and Swiffer Duster refills.
  • Include a package of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers in Mr./Ms. ___________’s supply bag.
  • Toss Febreze Air Effects in the supply bag while you’re at it!
  • Sign up to be a room mom/dad.  This will really impress Mr./Ms. _______________!
  • Join the PTA!

P&G Household Needs products are a huge part of our everyday life and back-to-school prep is no exception!  You can purchase these and other P&G products at Costco.

Walmart Stock Up and Save event with P&G

P&G Stock Up and Save Event at Walmart with a Gift Card Giveaway!

The Walmart gift cards and information have been provided by P&G.

Spring has sprung in Atlanta and in spite of spreading a thick layer of pollen on every surface imaginable, Spring is the time when the kids spend the most time outdoors. Paper towels, paper towels, paper towels… that’s one of our staples during Spring. Whether we use them to wipe pollen off Madelyn’s sandbox, the swings, or blow noses when tissues aren’t available outside, paper towels can be found around every corner of our house and outdoor spaces.

What else does Spring mean for our family?  Well, this goes along with the playing outside I mentioned earlier… laundry detergent galore!  We recently stocked a shelf system in our garage with 4 HUGE things of Tide Coldwater amongst other often used items.  It seems during the spring and summer months we do three times the laundry as in winter.  It makes sense seeing as how the kids are much more active outdoors and get dirty and stinky.

Thanks to Walmart and P&G teaming up for Walmart’s Stock Up and Save event, I was able to seriously stock up.. and save.. on some of our favorite staples this week!

Walmart Stock Up and Save event with P&G

 

I stocked up on the P&G products in the photo above, for less than $70!

Shopping at Walmart during the Stock Up and Save event allows me to stock our shelves with must-have staples and makes it so that I don’t have to go to the store as often.. hallelujah!  Walmart already offers everyday low prices so the rollback events like this one are just another way to get the most of your money.

Walmart Stock up and Save event


Here are some of the P&G products you can stock up and save on through April 30th!

  • Tide Liquid Laundry Detergent
  • Tide Simply Clean and Fresh Liquid Laundry Detergent
  • Charmin Ultra Soft or Ultra Strong Toilet Paper
  • Bounty Mega Roll Select-A-Size Paper Towels
  • Luvs Super Absorbent Diapers
  • Pampers Swaddlers Huge Pack
  • Tampax Pearl Plastic, Super Absorbency
  • Always Ultra Thin Long Super Unscented Pads
  • Always Discreet Maximum Underwear
  • Always Discreet Moderate Regular Length Pads
Walmart Stock Up and Save Ad

 

The P&G Stock Up and Save Event is going on at your local Walmart through April 30th, 2015.

To help fund your Stock Up and Save shopping trip at Walmart, we are giving a $25 Walmart Gift Card to one lucky reader.

Contest open to U.S. residents age 18+ only. Entries accepted from 12am Friday April 17th, 2015 to 12am April 28th, 2015.

 

Note to readers: The Walmart gift cards and information have been provided by P&G.

 

 

My Visit to P&G Headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio (Lots of Photos!)

Note to readers: I was hosted by P&G (Proctor & Gamble) for this blogger conference.   Accommodations and travel expenses were paid for by P&G.  I am so appreciative that I was able to attend Access P&G and have recapped my visit to the P&G headquarters in Cincinnati for you below.

I was thrilled to be invited to attend P&G’s first Access P&G Blogger Conference this summer, in Cincinnati Ohio. I have used P&G products since I can remember and enjoyed learning more about the brand who brings consumers so many fabulous products from shampoo to mascara and dog food to Tampax. I left the conference feeling more knowledgeable about P&G, Cincinnati Ohio, and social media.

When I arrived at the airport I met a fabulous blogger named Alyson Labarge who writes on Mom Start, and enjoyed talking to her during the car ride to the hotel. That was a great start to the trip!

This post will take you through the Access P&G conference in the order things happened. If you want to jump to the conference sessions scroll down.

21C Museum Hotel & Cincinnati

Speaking of the hotel.. we were taken to the 21c Museum Hotel in Cincinnati where we would stay the next few nights. 21C Museum Hotel is a gorgeous contemporary art museum and boutique hotel. When I walked into the hotel I wondered for just a moment if I entered through a museum entrance. I know.. the name of the hotel is 21c Museum Hotel. I should have known. The lobby of the hotel consisted of one check-in desk and open beautiful space otherwise. The check-in desk neither cluttered with papers, computers, printers, or other gadgets, allowing for a simple, elegant guest check-in experience. That was perhaps the most enjoyable hotel check-in experience I’ve ever had.

21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati OhioI said hello to a few other bloggers who I recognized in the hotel lobby then headed up to my room. Entering my room was like entering a museum. Imagine that. The pristine decor, white bedding, and art on the walls and even the pillows gave me the peaceful retreat I needed before a night out with bloggers and P&G PR. Imagine my surprise when I walked into my bathroom and took a look at the shower only to see an ear protruding out of the tile as if it was there to catch up on the latest gossip. I made sure not to sing in that shower. 😉

Access P&G Blogger Conference - Cincinnati Ohio

But, lucky for me, a blogger from Canada named Jody, who’s blog is Mommy Moment, and I met up and took a walk to the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge where I was in awe of the design of the bridge as well as how much Cincinnati has embraced the importance of green space inside the city. Did you know that when the first pedestrians crossed the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge on December 1, 1866, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world at 1,057 feet? Imagine being one of those people in 1866, crossing the longest suspension bridge in the world!

Yoga, Lessons from Twitter, and How Strong is Bounty DuraTowel, Really?

The first morning, after a great yoga session, J.B. Kropp a Strategic Partnerships fellow at Twitter talked to us about Optimizing Your Blog through Social Media. I learned things like what days and times of day are best to tweet, how to effectively use hashtags, and he even presented some great Vine videos to us. I couldn’t have been more pleased with J.B.’s session at the Access P&G Conference.

Access P&G conference in Cincinnati, Ohio

After the great forum with J.B. Kropp we moved on to the P&G Headquarters just a few blocks from our hotel.

There, we kicked off our visit to the headquarters with a cooking demonstration and lunch with Bounty and Top Chef Stephanie Izard. Stephanie created a couple of beautiful dishes for us and a fabulous chocolatey goodness desert.  That ensured that we all had the energy we needed to continue with the day. Not like we needed any more energy. I think all the bloggers and I were so thrilled to be there, talking to each other and learning more about P&G that we didn’t need any more energy.

Before lunch we watched a demonstration during which two paper towels were secured by clamps hanging from a bar as seen in the photo above.  Each paper towel had a weight added to the bottom of it and was sprayed with water until the paper towel ripped and fell. We counted the seconds until the first paper towel ripped and fell from the rod.  Several of us held our breath because watching the DuraTowel paper towel hang from the rod with weighs on it while it was being sprayed continuosly with water, was one of those situations when you are nervous that things aren’t going to turn out as you hope, but the DuraTowel paper towel held strong and didn’t tear like the other paper towel did. Hooray! You can read my review of Bounty DuraTowel here.

P&G Archives

Perhaps my favorite part of Access P&G was our visit to the P&G Archives Room.   Walking into the archives room was like walking into a time machine dating back to 1837!  We were surrounded by some of P&G’s most well-known products including Vicks Vapor Rub, Tide, Downy, and Ivory and saw how the packaging has changed over the years.   To be honest, I like the old Ivory bar soap packaging better than the current.  We were given a wonderful overview of P&G’s history.  We were not allowed to photograph many of the products but some of those that we could photograph are shown below.

P&G Proctor and Gamble Archives in Cincinnati

 

IAMS by P&GIAMS So Good!

We had a special guest around mid-day.  His name is Pawl Griffin and he is very hairy, slobbers, and practically convinced me that getting a dog might not be so bad.. one day.  Maybe 30 years from now.  Pawl Griffin, the face of IAMS, is a super sweet dog and very tolerant.  You wouldn’t believe how people coo over him.   The IAMS representatives that spoke with us were not only animal lovers, but know just about everything there is to know about a dog’s digestive system, hair coat, and breeds. I got a tip or two about what to look for if we ever decide to get a dog.

 

Hair and Makeup

The last stop of the day before dinner was to the hair and makeup ‘studio’ in the P&G headquarters.

Oh my goodness, talk about fun!  I have never been confident with applying eye liner and makeup in general.  That all changed, thanks to celebrity makeup artist and Olay Skincare Ambassador in attendance, Bruce Grayson.  I now know the correct way to apply eyeliner and foundation, even without using an official primer like I’ve done for years.  We used Olay Regenerist as a sort of primer then applied P&G’s Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation. Click the link to read my review of the foundation.

Next, we got a lesson in hair styling from the fabulous David Reposar, hair stylist extraordinaire.  One thing I learned from him is that it doesn’t take an hour to create an amazing hair style… little did I know.  He sat me down in a chair, sprayed a heat protecting spray on my hair then went at it with a curling iron.  How fun!

Access P&G makeup and hair

Balancing Blog and Home

This was the topic of our final conversation as a group, moderated by Danielle Smith, Access P&G attendee and author of Social Media Engagement For Dummies.  We shared stories about how we balance our blog/business and home life.. or don’t.  I shared a few of my secrets to balancing my business and home life.. shut the office door, don’t work at the kitchen table, give the kids the attention they need and deserve, and set boundaries.

Vanessa Lachey P&GOh, one last thing.  Vanessa Lachey.

The night of our arrival we enjoyed dinner at Contemporary Arts Center, next door to our hotel, where P&G “Have You Tried It  Yet” program spokesperson Vanessa Lachey spent the evening with us.  Vanessa is down to earth, nice, fun, funny, and of course.. gorgeous!  But what impressed me the most about her is that she spoke about her husband (Nick Lachey) and son just like you and I would talk about our husband and kids, with pride and humor.  She even suggested that she does her own laundry. Huh?   She sat down at our table and told us about her son and showed us photos.  It was adorable, really.

I hope you enjoyed this recap of my trip to Cincinnati Ohio for the first Access P&G blogger conference!

Alicia, The Mommy Insider blog author

My Makeup Is Staying Fabulous All Day Long With COVERGIRL® Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation #StayFabulous

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I have some issues with skin imperfections as a result of teen acne (left some scaring) and lack of sleep (under-eye darkness) for 13 years since I had my first child.

About a week ago I received COVERGIRL® Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation to review.   For more than 5 years, every bottle of foundation that I’ve had cost at least $30 and was purchased at a specialty store and I’ll be honest; I assumed that foundation that cost at least $30 must be better than makeup that costs less than $10.   Since using this foundation everyday for 5 days straight, I have to retract my assumption.  I am very pleased with this foundation.

I love COVERGIRL’s Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation!  I chose it over my other foundations for my vacation that I’m on this week which says a lot.

COVERGIRL® Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation reviewMy Experience with COVERGIRL® Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation

How is the coverage?
The coverage of this foundation is medium to full.   This foundation has proven to last through even my most active days.  I feel that this foundation provided very good and even coverage.  I always apply a primer before foundation but because this foundation says it is a “Primer, concealer, and foundation in one”, I tried it without using a primer.  I have been very impressed with how smooth this foundation applies to my skin.
I am very happy with the coverage this foundation provides for the dark circles under my eyes.  I usually use a concealer under my eyes or an eye brightening stick but I haven’t been since using this foundation.
How long does it last?
I usually apply foundation around 10am and leave it on until about 9pm.  I have found that this foundation lasts all day (from 9am-10pm) and what I really appreciate is that I don’t feel like I have to use a setting power or touch-up during the day.   I have been in a couple of situations when I broke a bit of a sweat and didn’t notice a decline or ‘melting’ of the foundation during or after those times.
Will it match your skin color?
Like I mentioned earlier, my skin has a yellow-ish tone to it which makes it difficult to color-match perfectly.  While in the bottle, this foundation looked a little pink for my skin, but once I applied it, that’s when I really got excited because it matches my skin color perfectly!   I recommend that you purchase a shade that looks one shade lighter than your skin color as based on what I’ve seen with my skin, it darkens a tad once it has oxidized.  COVERGIRL® Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation is available in 14 shades so you are sure to find one that works for you.

Before photo (around 9am)

COVERGIRL® Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation

After photo (around 5pm)

 

COVERGIRL® Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation

Disclosure: I am a compensated P&G Blogger and received these products for review purposes. All statements are my honest opinions.

Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator {Review and Giveaway}

Take your shoes to the garage!  

Put your gym clothes in the washer!

 Get the stinky clothes out of your room and into the washing machine!

Sound familiar?

I have two kids but some days it smells like I’m raising elephants in my house.   I have used Febreze odor eliminating spray for years and keep one bottle of it on all three levels of our house. As I tell my 12 year old son who brings home some super smelly clothes after camping trips “I’m ready to aim and spray whenever necessary”!

Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator

What do all of the photographs above all have in common?
They all resulted in stinky laundry!

That’s why I was very happy to learn about a new P&G product, Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator.  Good Housekeeping- approved, Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator is specially formulated to clean away odors that get trapped in fabrics.  Bad odors are washed away during the rinse cycle.  To use, simply measure according to the load size and add directly to wash cycle with your liquid or powder detergent.  Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator CAN be used in HE washers.

 

Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator
Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator

Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator did not interfere with my laundry detergent scent.  My son who is doing his own laundry now, when he remembers, knows to use Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator in his loads now.  He goes camping a lot and comes home with super stinky clothes.  Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator is a godsend for parents of Boy Scouts, campers, and kids who play sports.

You’ll find information about the new Febreze products on NewFrebreze.com.  I am a member of the  a Febreze Common Scents Institute and you can be too!

Who wants to win a Febreze Common Scents Institute Kit?

I have been given the opportunity to give one lucky The Mommy Insider reader a Febreze Common Scents Institute Kit!

Febreze Common Scents Institute
Febreze Common Scents Institute prize package

The Common Scents Institute Kit contains a coupon for a free bottle of Febreze Laundry Eliminator, a Febreze Towel, Tide Odor-Absorbing Travel Laundry Bag, and a Common Scents Institute Guide with a magnet so you can stick it on your refrigerator or washing machine.

To enter to win leave a comment telling me whose stinky laundry you hope to tackle with Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator.

Earn extra entries:

  • 2 entries – Like The Mommy Insider on Facebook
  • 2 entries – Follow Mommy Insider on Twitter
  • 2 entries – Subscribe to our RSS newsletter
  • 3 entries each time – Tweet about this giveaway: “I entered to win a Febreze Common Scents Institute Kit on TheMommyInsider.com. Enter #giveaway here: http://wp.me/plszx-2TK @mommyinsider”
  • 3 entries each – Enter any of our other contests and let us know which contests you entered in the comments below
  • 5 entries – Blog about this giveaway on your own blog and leave the URL in the comments below.  Do not copy and paste this post into your blog.
  • Be sure to tell us what you’ve done in the comments below.

Contest Rules:

  • Entries accepted through 11:59PM EST March 31st, 2012.
  • U.S. Residents only.
  • Ages 21+.
  • No P.O. Boxes
  • Winner must respond to our email within 24 hours to claim their prize.
  • Read The Mommy Insider’s Contest Rules here.  By entering this contest you are agreeing to the rules.

Disclosure:  I received a Febreze Common Scents Institute Kit for purposes of this review and giveaway.  All opinions are 100% my own and were not influenced in any way.

Alicia Hagan, Editor