Walgreens Introduces Balance Rewards

If you haven't been to Walgreens recently, you may not know about their new Balance Rewards program. Walgreens is just down the road from us, so I'm there all the time for shampoo, vitamins, moisturizer, and of course prescription medications.

While I've always liked Walgreens for their product selection and great prices, I've wondered why they didn't have some kind of loyalty club like other stores. A loyalty club isn't going to make me switch where I shop, but with the right incentives it might encourage me to shop more at a store I already like.

Apparently they were listening to my thoughts, because just recently Walgreens launched their new Balance Rewards program. This new program is so easy to use, and just by shopping for the products you already use you can earn points to redeem towards cash off coupons.

Points are awarded for purchasing certain featured items each week, and you can combine offers to earn thousands of points in a single purchase. You always earn 500 points for any prescription or immunization. Plus there are sale prices that are available only to Balance Rewards members.

For example, this week (sale ending tomorrow) I can earn 1000 points for buying two bags of select  Halloween chocolates (Mars, Hershey's or Nestle). I needed to buy Halloween candy anyway, so why not get the bonus points, too? My daughters' vitamins are also currently on sale for buy one, get one half off, plus get 1000 bonus points. On sale AND I get extra Balance Rewards points!

You can earn points on Walgreens.com or in-store. Once you reach 5000 points, you can redeem them instantly for a $5 reward - good for anything in the store - or continue saving for greater rewards.

I've already been earning lots of points without making any unnecessary purchases and I love it. I get points for my prescriptions, points for buying our everyday items, and I can even earn points for logging any walks I take using the Walk with Walgreens program.

Signing up is simple and FREE. You can sign up in the store, online, or download the mobile app and register right from your smartphone.

 There are several cool features on the app.

With Christmas shopping getting closer, I need to get the most out of every purchase I make and save every dollar I can. The Walgreens Balance Rewards program makes saving money a little easier for me, and I'm stockpiling my rewards for Black Friday shopping. If you have a Walgreens or Duane Reade near you, stop in and see just how fast you could be earning rewards!

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Walgreens as part of a partnership to promote the Balance Rewards program. All thoughts and opinions stated above are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Walgreens. But my local Walgreens will tell you just how often I'm there buying that "one more thing" I need.

Get Tangled In Disney's Latest Fairy Tale On Blu-ray & DVD

I've been waiting for Disney's Tangled to come out on Blu-ray and DVD for what seems like forever. After seeing it twice in the theater, I was hooked on the story and couldn't wait to add it to our library. Well, now that day has arrived, and as of today Tangled is available for purchase everywhere.

What's that? You missed out on seeing Tangled in the theater? Well, let me explain why you must add this new classic to your collection!

The story synopsis from Disney is this: When the kingdom’s most wanted—and most charming—bandit Flynn Rider (voice of Zachary Levi) is taken hostage by Rapunzel (voice of Mandy Moore), a feisty teen with 70 feet of golden hair who’s looking for her ticket out of the tower where she’s been locked away for years, the unlikely duo sets off on a hilarious, hair-raising escapade filled with adventure, heart, humor and hair—lots of hair.

Truthfully, that's a fairly shallow description of everything involved in this movie. It doesn't mention that Rapunzel is a princess who was kidnapped by Mother Gothel and has lived nearly all of her life inside the tower. Or that her parents still hold out hope they'll find her again one day and have a lantern lighting ceremony on her birthday each year. (You'll sob when you see this.) Or that the cast of supporting characters could include vikings who like to collect tiny ceramic unicorns. Or that Rapunzel can wield a mean frying pan.

I do love that Rapunzel is a strong female character. She's kept away from the world at a child, innocent and scared of the outside, and yet she faces her fears to follow her dreams. Along the way she encounters a lot of frightening moments, but she rises to the occasion for each - she's a good modern princess role model for young girls. (Honestly, I still am not sure why this movie wasn't titled Rapunzel like all of the other Disney princess films.)

The ultimate 4-Disc Disney Blu-ray Combo Pack of Tangled comes with the 3D Blu-ray, the standard Blu-ray, the DVD, and a digital copy for your computer/iPad all in one package. There is also a 2-Disc Blu-Ray and DVD combo as well. (Which is what I received for review.) While I don't have a 3D capable TV, I did see the movie in 3D in the theater and it was great. But the non-3D version was just as good, and on our HD TV the Blu-ray copy of this movie is simply gorgeous.

Extras packaged with this release include the making of Tangled, deleted scenes, extended songs, two alternate openings, and several teaser trailers. I really enjoyed the deleted scenes and alternate openings, including the alternate tavern name of The Jaunty Moose.

Here's a clip of one of the alternate openings included with the extras:




This is a movie that will likely endure many, many viewings in our household. Not only do our daughters like it, but my husband and I really enjoy this movie as well. When I reviewed the initial release of the film, I said that while I liked it, I still liked The Princess and the Frog better. Well, having seen it a few more times now, I can confidently say Tangled is starting to pull ahead as a favorite.

If you have the chance, add this film to your collection. Here, I'll even make it easier for you with a $5 off coupon for the 4-disc set, good for this week only.

You and your kids will love Tangled. Trust me: mother knows best.

Full disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this movie to facilitate my review. No further compensation was received, and no guarantee of a positive review was promised or expected. Of course, they probably knew to expect a good review when I replied back with, "Oooh! Oooh! Please let me review a copy!"

Healthy Eating With Yoplait Kids (Giveaway!)

Mira, my three year old, can be a picky eater. While she has several foods she'll choose from as a snack, most are simple carbs: crackers, cereal, gummy snacks, pretzels, cookies, etc. Getting her to eat anything with protein is a challenge.

One protein-rich snack she likes is yogurt, although she can be picky about her yogurt, too. We've tried several different kinds of yogurt since she was a baby, and her favorite by far is still Yoplait Kids yogurt. Now that she's reached an age where she can identify labels of products, she'll often refuse any other brand of yogurt in favor of Yoplait Kids.

Cordy, my six year old, has been eating Yoplait Kids yogurt since before Mira was born, and still won't eat any other yogurt. (I should add that my children are both very sensitive to change - once they find something they like, they never want to change.)

Mira likes that her yogurt has Dora or the Disney Princesses on the cups, and her favorite flavor is Strawberry, although she also likes the Strawberry Banana and Vanilla flavors. I like that Yoplait Kids has 25% less sugar than the leading kids' yogurt, and is also free of high fructose corn syrup and artificial ingredients.

Some of you may know that Cordy can't eat anything with artificial colors or flavors, so I really appreciate a company that understands using real ingredients in foods designed for kids. It's often difficult to find kids' foods that are free of bright artificial colors or cheap artificial flavors - Yoplait Kids gives me a safe snack for my daughters that tastes great while providing them with calcium, Vitamin D and protein.

Try it for yourself!

Want to try Yoplait Kids yogurt for your family? First, you can print a coupon for $0.50 off one four pack of Yoplait kids.

But if free is more your style, I'm also giving away a Yoplait Kids prize pack to one lucky reader!

Prize pack includes: a coupon for 1 free Yoplait Kids yogurt four pack, a foldable travel cooler (to take your yogurt on-the-go), a cool four-piece spoon set, a power magnet picture frame, trendy alphabet-shaped “Kiddie Bands”, a great big bounce ball and a “My First Scavenger Hunt” card game for some after-snack fun.

Note: This coupon offer for a free four pack of Yoplait Kids yogurt is not valid in some states, including California, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota and Tennessee. Readers from these states can still enter to win the prize pack, but the coupon may not be valid.

To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite flavor of yogurt. Be sure to leave an e-mail address in your comment if it isn't in your profile so I can contact you if you're the winner. (mandatory entry)

For additional entries:
     - Follow YoplaitYogurt on Twitter and leave a separate comment here with your twitter ID (1 additional entry)
     - Like Yoplait on Facebook and leave a separate comment here with your Facebook name (1 additional entry)

Entries will be accepted until Wednesday, March 30 at 11:59pm EDT. One winner will be selected by random drawing, and will have three days to respond to my e-mail or a new winner will be selected. US residents only.

Good luck!

Full disclosure: I was provided with an identical Yoplait Kids prize pack, including a coupon for a free four pack, by Yoplait through MyBlogSpark. No other compensation was received, and no guarantee of a positive review was promised. Although if they knew my kids have already been eating this yogurt for years, they probably felt it was a sure bet.

Smart Gloves For Your Smart Phone

I never thought I was going to become an iPhone junkie, but now that I've had it for over a year, I often wonder how I lived without it. That phone is my lifeline when I'm out of the house - anyone I could ever need to reach, in just about any method, is available to me at the touch of a finger.

Of course, winter in Ohio can make my love for my smart phone a little difficult. Anyone in cold weather has likely faced the dilemma of using their phone versus risking cold fingers. More than once last winter I was seen furiously trying to answer my phone with my gloves on, only to remember that the gloves block the ability for the phone to sense touch and so I had to quickly tear off my glove to answer the phone.

And don't get me started on those fingerless gloves for smart phone users. Of all parts of my hand, my fingers are precisely the parts most prone to cold and therefore what I want to keep warm the most!

I was recently made aware of a new product called Agloves, however, and it's like my blue-fingernail prayers have been answered.

Agloves make it possible to keep your gloves on and use a touch screen phone at the same time. These stretchy, knit gloves are made with silver-coated nylon thread throughout (hence the name - Ag is the elemental symbol for silver) to provide the connectivity needed to operate any touch screen.

I always thought that touch-sensitive screens were based on body heat, but actually they're made to react with the bioelectricity in your skin. Put a barrier between your skin and the phone, and those little ions can't flow the way they're supposed to. Agloves, however, allow those ions to flow freely thanks to the highly conductive silver thread.

Now, I know what you might be thinking: metal coated thread? Sounds uncomfortable, right? I can tell you that when I received a pair of these for review, the first thing I noticed was how soft they are. They feel just as soft as any knit gloves, and they are just as warm, too.

I'm really impressed with these gloves. I can use my iPhone without taking my gloves off, and the phone responds to my gloved finger just as well as it does when it's skin to glass. The gloves can get wet, are also washable, and the silver will not wash off or wear off. They're available in three sizes, with a sizing chart to help you pick the right fit.

Unlike other tech gloves on the market, these keep all of your fingers covered and warm while still providing full, 10-finger conductivity with your smart phone. (Some only provide conductivity with your index finger and thumb.) The black is stylish and looks great with winter sports wear as well as a formal wool coat. Cost-wise, these are extremely well-priced gloves, at $17.99 a pair.

And if you needed one more reason to love Agloves, consider that they were created by a "mom-preneur" looking for a solution for a common problem. Support your fellow mom-run small businesses!

Win a pair!

Agloves has graciously provided me with one pair of gloves to give to one lucky reader! The winner can choose which size works best for them.

To enter, leave a comment below telling me your favorite outdoor winter activity. (Mandatory entry.) Be sure to leave a valid e-mail address so I can contact you if you're selected as the winner.

For additional entries:

2. Follow me on Twitter @mommystory and tweet this contest leaving me a link here in the comments. (one entry)
3. Follow @TheAgloves on Twitter. (1 entry - leave a comment here with you link)
4. "Like" Agloves on Facebook. (1 entry - leave a comment here with your Facebook username)

One of each entry per person, US residents only.

Giveaway will close on Sunday, November 28 at 11:59pm ET. One winner will be selected by random drawing to win the pair of Agloves. Winner has three days after being contacted by e-mail to respond or another winner will be chosen in his or her place.

Get FREE SHIPPING on Agloves!

If you can't wait and want to get some of your holiday shopping done, Agloves has also provided readers of Mommy's Must Haves with a great promo code for free shipping on any order from Agloves. Simply enter the code mommusthave in the coupon code box to get free shipping on your order through December 15, 2010!

Full disclosure: I received a pair of Agloves to facilitate my review, and no further compensation was received. A positive review was not guaranteed - all thoughts are my honest opinions. You can bet I'll be taking advantage of that discount code, though - I've got a lot of holiday shopping left to do.

Lands' End Contest & Free Shipping Code!

Did you ever wish you could get all your family together - you, the kids, maybe the grandparents, too - and all go on vacation together? (OK, I also wish I could go on vacation without all of them, too, but that's beside the point.) With the economy tanking right now, vacation money is hard to come by, but you could always try to win your vacation.

Lands' End's Great Get Togethers contest is running through noon, October 30, 2008 for an all-expense paid vacation to The Resort at Paws Up in Montana.

The grand prize is 7 nights of fun at the resort for up to 12 members of your family. This includes not only the resort stay, but also airfare, meals, four half-day wilderness adventures, and a set of Lands' End Windfall outerwear for each family member. I've never been snowmobiling, but I'd be willing to learn for a vacation like that!

Second and third place winners get a Lands' End clothing package, also for up to 12 family members.

To enter, visit Lands' End and fill out the Great Get Togethers contest entry form, including a 300 word essay about your most memorable family get together. Winners will be chosen after October 31, 2008.

And if you're starting your winter outerwear shopping like me, you should take a look at Lands' End this week for some great sales and free shipping. Using the code below at checkout, get free standard UPS shipping on any order from now until October 20!

Code: OUTERWEAR
PIN: 1013

Save Some $$$ On Diapers

A while back, I asked people for recommendations on diapers, after Pampers had changed their design and were no longer as leak-proof as they used to be. After trying many types on Cordy, we found the Luvs had the best leak protection of any diapers out there. Rarely do we have a leak, and when we do, it's usually because someone gave in to her begging and let her have five cups of (watered-down) juice in a very short period of time.

Little did I know that we would also come to appreciate the cost savings as well. She's still in diapers, and the Luvs are cheaper than other brand name diapers as well as being better quality, too. Saving $4-6 per box of diapers adds up quickly.

I just found out that Luvs is offering a $5 off coupon starting June 25 (Wednesday). There are a limited number, so be sure to get to the Luvs website first thing on June 25 to snag one of those coupons. Sure, Luvs are already cheaper than other diapers, but why not get another $5 off, right?

To promote this coupon offer, Luvs brought in Anita Renfroe (remember her awesome Total Momsense video on YouTube?) and asked her to do a follow-up song. I love her, and the new lyrics she's created are a lot like the first song: funny and oh-so-true. Be sure to check it out - you can also forward it on to friends to let them know about the coupon, too!