My eldest daughter entered kindergarten last year and we were introduced to the wonderful world of Box Tops for Education. Her school has monthly contests to see which class collects the most Box Tops.

To celebrate its partnership with Box Tops for Education, Kimberly-Clark Corporation has launched the “Rock Your School” sweepstakes which gives parents like me (and you) a chance to win 100,000 Bonus Box Tops for their child’s school, plus an exclusive concert featuring Radio Disney Star Jordan Pruitt, who has opened for the Jonas Brothers, the Cheetah Girls, and Vanessa Hudgens. That’s the part your kids will get pumped about.

Jordan Pruitt

The Box Tops for Education fundraising program supports schools with grades K-8 by providing cash for each Box Top consumers clip and send in.

Here is what 100,000 Box Tops could mean to the average classroom:

• Enough No. 2 pencils to stretch across the length of more than 145 football fields.
• A mobile cart complete with 20 laptops with wireless capabilities.

Parents of students in grades K-8 can enter the sweepstakes daily now through Sept. 15 via tear pads in participating retail stores or online at www.RockBacktoSchool.com. In addition to the grand prize, more than 1,000 winners will enjoy prizes, including 1,000 Bonus Box Tops and autographed copies of Jordan Pruitt CDs. One grand prize winner will win a Jordan Pruitt concert at their child’s school and 100,000 Bonus Box Tops. Winners will be selected at random from all eligible entries on or around Sept. 22.

For fun ways to organize Box Tops collected over the summer, visit www.boxtops4education.com.

My mom is truly a personal shopper for me (lucky me.) She will call me from a store to let me know about a great bargain she has found for me or the girls.

Today she e-mailed me to let me know that Publix has a $5 coupon in this week’s sales flier, good if you spend $35 or more on groceries now through July 16. This is a tempting deal to me, as I do the majority of my grocery shopping at Publix and I can spend $35 faster than you can say, “What’s for dinner?”

Kroger is also running a tempting deal.

Now through July 31, if you buy $300, $600 or $1,200 worth of Kroger gift cards, you get an extra 10% added to the value (that’s $30, $60, or $120.) The offer applies to in-store purchases only of new Kroger gift cards, and does not include re-loads on existing gift cards and cannot be combined with any other discount or offer. This offer is limited to per household.

So what do you think? I think the Publix deal, although tempting, would just encourage me to spend money to save money since it is for a limited time offer. But then again…I’m such a sucker for marketing and I do love Publix.

With two dogs who together weigh in at 100 plus pounds and two kids under the age of 6 running rampant, our house has experienced a wide spectrum of smells, many of them not so appealing. What? Your house smells like roses, fresh baked cookies, and sunshine all the time?

I remember when Febreze first came on the market with their original line of spray bottles. Now Febreze offers Febreze Candles, which have a special inner core that eliminates odors while spreading a clean scent through the air that isn’t too overpowering. The PR rep who contacted me about reviewing some of the new Febreze products noted that because I’m a mom, she was sure I was familiar with Febreze products. Oh yes. Translation. I’m sure your house has been smelly on occasion. Thankfully no children in my house are in diapers. I finally ditched our Diaper Champ last year. But still, two kids plus two dogs equals odors galore, whether they’re wearing diapers or not. (Did you know there are diapers for toy dog breeds? But I digress.)

Febreze Fabric Refresher in the familiar spray bottles features a new lineup, including Febreze Allergen Reducer, which reduces up to 75% of allergens from cats, dogs, and dust mites that can become airborne from fabrics. And it is safe to use around your family pet, too.

Do you use Febreze products? Have you tried their new line of candles?

I don’t know about you, but I always thoroughly rinse my dishes before I load them into the dishwasher.

Cascade Complete was ranked number one for the second year in a row by a top consumer product guide.  Savvy Housewife was asked to pit Cascade Complete against Electrasaol in a kitchen smack down and found that Cascade Complete left dishes free of any debris with no pre-rinsing required! I tend to buy store brands, but I’ll definitely buy Cascade Complete when it’s on sale. Hey, I’m all about “on sale.”

Now if Savvy Housewife could only find someone to load and empty the dishwasher for her, that would be golden. (She’s not trusting her 6 and 3-year-old to do it just yet.)

The Cascade Complete website features dishwasher tips, which begs the question, “Are you anal retentive about the way your dishwasher is loaded?” I tend to be very OCD about the “proper” (in my book) way to load dishes. Everything must go in a certain place in order to maximize the full load capacity, while my husband tends to just place things in a haphazard manner that drives me nuts.

So, what’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever washed in your dishwasher? I’ve actually washed baseball caps (I read that tip once upon a time) and a baby potty seat. No actual dishes or dishwashers were harmed in the experimental dishwasher rounds and no dishes were washed with the potty.

I just started using reusable shopping bags when I go to the grocery, although I’ve been recycling my plastic grocery shopping bags at the handy recycle bins at the store entrance for as long as I can remember. RuMe bags are a small, but fashionable, choice you can make to go green.

Every minute, one million plastic bags are used worldwide. Going green can seem like an overwhelming task but making the simple choice to use a reusable bag is a small way to help and it also reinforces that simple choice to your children each time they see you carry in your own bags to the store. The RuMe bag is versatile, durable and designed for daily use, whether it’s for grocery shopping, carrying to the office, the beach or pool, the library to return books, picnics, for laundry, or even as a reusable gift bag. And not only are you helping eliminate waste, you are helping save the more than one million birds and 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles that die every year from eating or getting entangled in plastic

The RuMe bag is uniquely designed and manufactured, as well as functional:
• The 11.5” handle is sized to carry over any shoulder – male or female
• The innovative box-stitch side and bottom design makes it roomy, without being bulky
• The water-resistant 180 denier polyester material means these bags can hold more than 50lbs. Dude, that’s a lot of Corona Light with limes for the weekend.
• RuMe bags are sold in sets of three in fun, fashionable designs and colors and fold down to pocket size.

RuMe bags are sold at Delight.com (which features an entire line of eco-friendly gift ideas) in two wonderful lines: Springtime In New York or Silicon Valley.

Do you use your own bags for shopping?

Happy 4th of July! I’ve posted the second of four Four For The Fourth giveaways at my other site, BlondeMomBlog. Ultreo.com and TinyTagDesigns giveaways will be posted tomorrow.

Last night hubby took the girls to Red Robin for the first time. I had plans and then met them just in time to share a hot fudge sundae. They loved it and kept stalking the “Red Rooster.” Ha! I was impressed with their kids menu. Miss A actually chose fresh cantaloupe to go with her pepperoni pizza. I remember when some restaurants offered free kids’ meals, but it seems like most chains, like O’Charley’s, have done away with them.

So what are your plans for the day? We may go to a community celebration and we’re going to grill out at home (although right now it looks like it may rain) and just relax.

The only “fresh” veggies we had access to in school were canned green beans ladled out by the hair net wearing cafeteria ladies. In high school it was a banner occasion to get a salad bar. I still remember piling on too much shredded cheese and too many fake bacon bits.

Kimberly Williams-Paisley, actress and wife of country music star Brad Paisley, has written the children’s book “Henry and the Hidden Veggie Garden” in support of the Love Your Veggies Nationwide School Lunch Campaign sponsored by Hidden Valley. Hidden Valley recently awarded $10,000 nutrition grants to 51 U.S. elementary schools to help increase access to fresh produce.

Kimberly and her husband and young son Huck, born in 2007, live on a farm in Tennessee. She wrote the book along with her father, Gurney Williams III, a writer an editor for more than 40 years.

An excerpt from the intro explains her inspiration for the book project…

“I’ve realized that as a parent, I have to work hard to create the environment I want my child to grow up in, and dI have to live the values I want my child to learn. As a veggie lover, it’s hard for me to watch when kids turn up their noses at delicious, fresh food. I want my family to appreciate and enjoy a balanced meal.”

Do you have a backyard or patio garden or do you have a local garden you visit? Do you get your fill of fresh produce at your local Farmer’s Market or grocery store?

We have planted a small tomato and herb garden in our backyard. We are also very fortunate to be able to visit a huge country garden planted by my father-in-law’s cousin. It’s a 40-minute drive, though, so we don’t visit it as often as we’d like. We also live near several produce stands. Although we live in a suburb of Nashville, just a short drive out of town takes you to farm land and crops.

For a chance to win a copy of “Henry and the Hidden Veggie Garden,” just leave a comment about how you get your fill of summer vegetables between now and midnight Friday, July 11.

The book is available through September at www.loveyourveggiesgrants.org for $5.

Weiman, maker of several household cleaning products such as wipes for stainless steel, granite, and computer screens, sent me a handy plastic container of their new leather wipes.

Let me tell you how exciting my life is. I was thrilled to get these in the mail. With two children under the age of six I’ve seen my share of baby wipes, but cleaning wipes for my house are one variety that I don’t mind using. Housekeeping is not fun, so any products that make it easier are welcome into the fold.

I’ve actually been using my Weiman leather wipes to clean some of our wood furniture, especially in the den as our coffee and end tables have a lovely sheen o’ yogurt thanks to my two girls. We also have our resident man chair (burgundy leather recliner) in our den and I’ve used the wipes to make it look like new.

Weiman leather wipes come in a plastic container (30-count) and clean, moisturize, and condition leather and leather accessories while restoring the natural sheen of leather. They are safe for all leather furniture, car seats, luggage, briefcases, etc., as well as for wood furniture.

As a bonus, because they come in a handy wipe form, my 6-year-old can help me clean with ease and I don’t have to supervise her to prevent her from spraying cleaner all over the place.

Weiman household cleaning products have been around since 1941are available at Target, WalMart, The Home Depot, Ace Hardware, KMart and Publix.

Last weekend Savvy Dad and I took our girls to a friend’s pool. I was taking our 6-year-old to the bathroom for what seemed like the 800th time and saw something on a table that stopped me in my chlorinated tracks: a bottle of baby oil and iodine. Instantly I was transported to 1984, my freshman year of high school, to a summer spent laying out on the roof of my dad’s houseboat with my best friend in a quest for the perfect tan.

I’m on the cusp of 40 (OK, next August), and much more careful with my skin these days. No more suntain oil for me. Sun damage can happen any time, anywhere, and accumulates over time, so it’s important to protect against both aging UVA and burning UVB rays. But you’re not golfing or hitting the pool or tennis courts on a weekly basis, you say? No matter. You are exposed to these rays even when driving your car. 80 percent of your lifetime sun exposure comes from daily activities.

Aveeno is one of my favorite skincare brands (I loved their baby care line for Miss A) and I have been trying out their daily body lotion with SPF 15. Some features of the new Aveeno Active Naturals Daily moisturizing lotion with sunscreen:

• Active Photobarrier Complex™ SPF 15 with soothing Natural Colloidal Oatmeal
• UVA/UVB protection
• Clinically shown to moisturize for 24 hours
• Non-greasy
• Dermatologist recommended

Aveeno’s new Active Naturals daily moisturizing lotion with sunscreen is available at most nationwide retailers, including CVS and Walgreens.

Visit Aveeno’s website to sign up for a $1.50 coupon for Aveeno facial care products as well as a free sample of their Positiviely Ageless Lifting and Firming Night Cream.

Are you diligent about using sunscreen? And do you remember the baby oil and iodine craze?