My mother has hundreds of old family photos that are simply priceless. There are so many memories captured on film from when she and my dad got married in the 1950s and bought their first little home in Michigan to photos of my grandmother and her siblings during the Great Depression. Of course these are all from the pre-digital age and the photos are beginning to fade. Some have been bent or torn through the years. Some are from the Polaroid craze of the early 1970s and have really begun to lose color quality.

Image Doctor 2 from Alien Skin Software is a great restoration software that helps you restore old photos by fixing rips or scratches; retouch new photos by removing a mole, tattoo, scar or other blemish from a portrait; remove unwanted objects from your photos, and repair low-quality JPEG images. Do you need to give yourself a little PhotoShop facelift? Image Doctor 2 features a skin softening filter.

It’s great for Photoshop users (and a host of other programs) and will shave off hours of retouch time. Image Doctor 2 is a plug-in that is compatible on both Windows and Macintosh.

Read more user reviews of Image Doctor 2 here.

Image Doctor 2 retails for $199. Click here to purchase from the official website.

I usually have a bottle of water in my car, my work bag, on my desk at work, basically at all times. I was very surprised to learn that Primo is the only nationally distributed bottled water whose bottle is made from plants, not crude oil.

Not only is Primo good for the environment, but it also tastes great. In blind taste tests conducted last year across the United States, three out of four consumers preferred Primo over the leading spring water and four out of five preferred Primo over tap water.

Check out these Webisodes which reveal the “secret ingredients” to making this Earth friendly bottle: http://www.youtube.com/primowater.

Primo water is sold in 18-bottle 16.9 oz. multipacks and retails for $4.99. Here in Middle Tennessee you can find it at your neighborhood Publix or Kroger.

Ten lucky Savvy Housewife readers will win an 18-pack case of Primo water! Simply leave a comment on this post and tell me what brand of bottled water you normally buy for your family for a chance to enter the drawing. For two chances, please link to this giveaway from your own blog. 10 random winners will be chosen from all comments left by midnight Wednesday, October 8. You don’t need a blog or website to enter the giveaway, but you do need to leave a valid e-mail address so I can contact you, should you win.

Did you know that good oral health is the gateway to good overall wellness and health? For every $1 spent on prevention in oral health care, you can save up to $50 in restorative treatment. So the investment in a good power toothbrush is worth every cent.

Oral-B’s new Vitality toothbrush is part of their new line of rechargeable power toothbrushes. Celebrity fitness trainer Jillian Michaels, best known from her role on “The Biggest Loser,”  has partnered with Oral-B to help consumers make better choices about health, particularly oral health.

Oral-B’s Vitality reduces up to two times more plaque than a regular manual toothbrush, which helps prevent gingivitis.  The Precision Clean brush head moves 7,6000 times per minute. I love that the Oral-B Vitality toothbrush features a 2-minute timer, so you know you’ve brushed effectively.

Jillian is one of the trainers from NBC’s “The Biggest Loser.” She wants to challenge Americans to think about their oral health as a long term investment and make one small change today that will improve the health of their mouths - particularly, investing in a power toothbrush. See Jillian’s message on YouTube.

The Oral-B Vitality is on sale currently at Amazon.com for $11.98 so now is a great time to purchase it! Plus, like all Oral-B products, it comes with a 12-month performance warranty.

The fine folks at LeapFrog were nice enough to send us the new LeapFrog® Tag Reading System and I can say it is one of the best educational toys that we’ve introduced to the girls. I was concerned it might be a little too old for my youngest daughter, who is 3 ½, as the recommended age is 4 to 8, but she has truly enjoyed playing with it. My oldest daughter, who is in first grade, has literally taken the Tag books to bed and read them without the aid of the special Tag pen and they both love to sit and play with the system.

The Tag Reading System features a special pen with a tiny camera on the tip that reads Tag books with the simple touch to the page. It’s a wonderfully fun, interactive way to engage young readers. Children can click on an icon so that the Tag reader pen plays audio, reading the entire page. Or, they can click word by word. Even the illustrations in the Tag books are interactive. The characters come to life with a click of the Tag pen, talking, making noises, etc. My girls love this feature. The volume is adjustable, but kids can also plug headphones into the Tag pen, although headphones are not included with the system. (That is honestly my only criticism of the system.)

The Tag Reading System works with a library of more than 20 books and games that includes such classic children’s books as The Little Engine That Could or popular characters like Ariel from Disney’s The Little Mermaid (which is definitely on my “must buy next” list). Leveled learning activities in every book adjust automatically to your child’s pace, helping build confidence and a love for reading. An Ozzie and Mack book comes with the system.

The nifty Tag Reader pen holds audio for up to five books at a time and connects to your computer with a USB cable, which is included with the system. You can also see your children’s progress in recent books by creating a free LeapFrog Learning Path online at LeapFrog’s website. The Tag Reading System is one of three new LeapFrog Connected learning systems that connect to the LeapFrog Learning Path, which enables parents to get regular insights into their child’s learning.

LeapFrog’s Tag Reading System retails for $49.99 and comes in the standard green and white pen or a new pink and white pen. The Tag books retail for $13.99. National Geographic also has a line of activity cards that work with the Tag pen. We have several LeapFrog toys at our house and I highly recommend this new LeapFrog system this Christmas for the young reader on your shopping list.

Anyone who has flown with young children will tell you that they’ll try just about anything to keep their offspring happy, content, and away from other passengers, provided it is legal. I still remember the first time my oldest daughter flew. She and I traveled from Tennessee to Massachusetts to visit my older sister. She was 23 months old and I packed every conceivable little toy, snack, and distraction known to man.

Love to Travel Products by Hope and Marie offers an ingenious little tray cover that turns a simple airplane tray table into a clean place for your child to eat and play during airplane trips.

The Kids TRAYblecloth minimizes your child’s contact with the airplane tray surface and provides a clean space for snacks, drinks, and activities. The convenient front pockets keep track of small items and the large mesh pocket underneath provides room for books and snacks. Most importantly, the Kids TRAYblecloth can stay on the tray during the entire flight, even when the tray table is up.

The Kids TRAYblecloth activity center includes:

• An erasable drawing and writing surface
• Four dry erase markers
• A fun, resuable activity shee

The Kids TRAYblecloth is small, making it easy to slip into your carry on bag, purse, or a child’s backpack.

Check out the Hope and Marie website for the Kids TRAYblecloth, which retails for $19.99.

Plush Gift Set

My girls are 3 and 6 and a bath is an event. They can’t clean up without bubbles, toys, and all sorts of bath time bells and whistles.

Tiny Tillia’s adorable cast of characters are fun additions to bath time. From waterproof bath books to character bath mitts to all natural head-to-toe foamy wash available in fun Tropical Blast and Flower Power scents, bath time should and can be a fun adventure and not just mom reminding the kiddos to scrub behind their ears. The scents are anything but boring: cucumber mango wash and cherry blossom hair detangler (we should buy stock in hair detangler at our house) are just two of the Tiny Tillia offerings. Tiny Tillia also features a handy 8 oz. hand sanitizer that can easily be tossed into a purse or tote bag for kids and moms on the go, which at our house is like 99 percent of the time. I hear the Boo Boo Gel Packs are especially great, too. All the packaging is whimsical, fun, and will put a smile on your face, as well as your child’s.

Duncan Dog Bath Mitt

All the Tiny Tillia formulas are ultra-gentle and paraben free. The Tiny Tillia collection of character-themed personal care and bath and body products was created by London-born designer Tiffany Lerman, daughter of novelist Jackie Collins. These adorable characters are all based on Tiffany’s family members. Each animal in the Tiny Tillia collection has a trait and story that directly relates to someone she knows and loves. Since launching in 2006, the collection has gained a huge celebrity following. You can find Tiny Tillia at specialty boutiques and nationwide at Target stores and online at shoptillia.com.

Hil’Lesha who commented, “I love the Love & Gratitude Women’s Tee,” is the winner. Thanks to everyone who entered!

I love t-shirts that make a statement and are super comfy to wear on the weekends, to the gym, wherever, and that look nicer than my collection of charity t-shirts and other volunteer freebie shirts. For women (and kids) who want to wear their heart on their tees, look no further than Chickatees t-shirts out of Georgia.

See? Don’t you feel much more peaceful and serene just imagining yourself on an Atlantic Coast beach in your cute Chickatees t-shirt? (No, this is not me pictured but I’d love to be there right now!)

Mompreneur Cayce Carter created the Chickatees line of shirts for moms and children ”as a way to express my gratitude for all I have and to help others discover the sense of peace that can be found in the projection of good thoughts and good will toward others.”

The name Chickatees is a play on words, Carter explains. ”Living in Georgia, we are blessed with an abundance of birds of all varieties. Bird watching has always been one of my family’s favorite pastimes, and now my own children enjoy observing this marvel of nature. What could be more appropriate than to name my company after one of our (particularly my son’s) favorite birds – the chickadee. The bird is an international symbol of peace and I can think of no better way to convey to everyone what this venture of mine is all about.”

Chickatees t-shirts are comfortable, unique, and made from very soft cotton. The shirts feature wonderful statements such as “Grin & Giggle,” “Grace & Giving,” or my favorite one, which I was lucky enough to sample, featuring “Love & Gratitude” in orange and tan on a black t-shirt…perfect fall colors. It’s also on sale right now for $20 on the Chickatees Boutique website.

Win a Chickatees Love & Gratitude t-shirt in fall colors as pictured above simply by visiting the Chickatees Boutique website and taking a look around at all the wonderful t-shirt designs. Come back to this post and leave a comment about your favorite design. A random  winner will be chosen from all eligible comments left by midnight Tuesday, September 30.

If you’re a holiday card control freak like me you are already planning this year’s holiday card photo. My absolute favorite Christmas cards from year to year from friends and family are photo holiday cards and I always spend time searching for that perfect card to send from our family.

Tiny Prints, a leader in holiday photo cards, is offering a sneak peek to showcase their new 2008 holiday card designs and you can win $50 just by sharing your personal favorite. During this early preview period the new holiday cards are not yet available for purchase, however, for a limited time you can receive great early-bird savings on their soon-to-be retired photo cards, Christmas cards, holiday invitations, Christmas cards, holiday photo cards, and business holiday cards.

The entire holiday line at Tiny Prints is awesome. Here are a few of my favorites to give you an example of the bright and cheerful cards they offer, from traditional green and red to more fun and funky color schemes of blue and brown (and they offer a wide array of sizes for all cards):

One lucky Savvy Housewife reader will win a $50 gift certificate to Tiny Prints simply by sharing their favorite hoiday card! Go to Tiny Prints’ website and browse the 2008 holiday card designs, holiday photo cards, and holiday business cards currently being previewed and then save your favorite 2008 design in your account by clicking the “save in favorites” button. Then come back to this post and provide a link to the specific holiday card in the comments below indicating what you like best about it. A random winner will be drawn from all eligible comments left by midnight Tuesday, September 30. Please use the same e-mail address in your comment below as the e-mail address you use when creating your Tiny Prints account so that participation can be verified.

We’ve got a full day of soccer, from team photos to a game, and I wanted to grab something to eat this morning while I was out running errands. Our bank is near Dunkin’ Donuts and I remembered the flatbread ham breakfast sandwiches the hubby bought a few weeks ago. I know…flatbread sandwiches at Dunkin’ Donuts? Somehow that seems like a fast food oxymoron. If they start offering Chai Lattes at Jack in the Box I wouldn’t be surprised.

Dunkin’ Donuts has a free coffee special promotion. You’ll get a free medium hot coffee (and I can now say I am a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee convert) with the purchase of one of one of their new egg white variety DDSmart flatbread sandwiches, which saves you $1.79.

Today I tried the turkey sausage flatbread sandwich, which only has 6 grams of fat and 280 calories. It was well worth $3.29. There was more flatbread than filling as I finished the sandwich, but it was a delicious alternative to my usual drive thru breakfast choice of McDonald’s. My typical pick at McDonald’s sausage Egg McMuffin, which has a whopping 370 calories and 22 grams of fat. Yowza. Imagine that sticking to your thighs and I guarantee you’ll think twice before ordering.

Check out the entire line of DDSmart choices at Dunkin’ Donuts and don’t forget to pick up your free coffee with a flatbread sandwich this weekend.

This post was not solicited by a PR agency or Dunkin’ Donuts or Rachael Ray. I just was truly impressed with their new DDSmart line and their coffee!

Disney DVD has two new releases this fall for Mickey and Pooh fans. The thing I love about Mickey and Pooh is that both my daughters, ages 3 and 6, love them. It’s great that they agree on these two classic cartoon characters, since they can disagree in so many other areas.

Your favorite classic fairy tales from childhood have been brought back with a new twist from Mickey Mouse and the gang in Mickey’s Storybook Surprises, the latest Mickey Mouse Clubhouse DVD release. The DVD features four episodes: Minnie’s Mystery, Donald the Frog Prince, Minnie Red Riding Hood, and Sleeping Minnie. Visit the official Mickey Mouse Clubhouse website for a sneak peek of this adorable video.

Order your copy today from Disney’s website (it retails for $14.99.)

My Friends Tigger & Pooh Hundred Acre Wood Haunt is a new release from Disney. I’m 39 and I still remember how much I loved Pooh as a child. Rumor has it, that Pooh just might have been part of my childhood nickname.

If you’re looking for a sweet, and not scary, Halloween DVD for your kids (hey the stores have been celebrating Halloween now for a few weeks!), Hundred Acre Wood Haunt is a perfect addition to your movie library. The official DVD website offers some fun downloadabale games and activities for kids.

Buy both DVDs from Disney’s website and save $6. These are perfect DVDs for younger kids.

With my oldest daughter now in first grade, I’m always on the lookout for online educational games and learning systems.

We recently had the chance to try out the award winning e-learning system for kids in grades K-6 from BigIQkids. I love that BigIQkids rewards your child for completing lesson plans by depositing coins that can be redeemed for fun games (there are more than 35 strategy and educational games in the online arcade) and parents are e-mailed progress reports after each completed lesson. The goal of BigIQkids is to foster an appreciation for hard work and study habits and members who devote 15 to 25 minutes a day the e-learning system have seen the best results. After signing up for BigIQkids, my 6-year-old actually asked to “play” on the site and it was exciting to see her learning while having fun.

The annual bundle package is $99.99 (and includes Spelling Time, Big Math Time, Big Vocab Time, and Big States Time). That’s just $5 a month to ensure your child gets in the routine of doing regular lesson plans that enhance their school work. And they offer a 14-day, full money back guarantee so you and your child can test it out. You can also purchase individual bundles, should your child just need to focus on a particular area, such as math. The individual bundle packages vary, and can be purchased on a monthly basis, starting at just $7.99 a month for Spelling Time.

Parents will see the best results by making BigIQkids.com a habit like brushing your teeth. Each lesson takes between 10-15 minutes to complete and the programs will not advance the student until they have achieved mastery of each individual lesson.

Parents also have complete customization ability on all Big IQ programs. This is a unique and exciting aspect of what sets BigIQkids.com apart from other e-learning tools. For example, a parent or teacher can easily enter their own word lists and Spelling Time will automatically create a week’s worth of lessons, quizzes, and tests based on your custom list with the goal of achieving 100% on the Friday spelling test. You can also set up a child’s lesson to mirror what they are doing in their current curriculum. For example, if your child is just mastering simple addition and subtraction like my first grader, then Big Math Time can focus on just these two areas.

If your child needs a little extra help developing good study habits, BigIQkids is a fantastic e-learning system to make part of your evening routine. Check out the online demos of the programs to see how fun and engaging they are for your kids!

The Tiny Tag Designs sidebar ad with the 20 percent discount code comes down tomorrow. Ya’ll I am not kidding when I say I have barely taken my necklace off since I got it. It’s a great personalized piece of jewelry for a mom who likes silver and who wants something casual that looks great every day. I’m surprised I don’t have some sort of weird tan line around my neck. I’ve also extended the deadline for the America At Home cover photo contest for this gorgeous photography book, which would make a great Christmas present. You can customize the cover with your favorite vacation picture, an old family photograph, or any photo that you choose.