So, remember those Yanni Voices?

Yes, you do. Remember how I 'interviewed' them at Blissdom 09?
Well One2One Network just reminded me (and asked me to remind you) that the Yanni Voices concert will be on PBS starting March 2nd!

Now YOU can see what all of us at Blissdom were madly tweeting about as we got to experience Nathan Pacheco and Ender Thomas live and in person. Now YOU can enjoy Nathan, Ender, Chloe, Leslie, and the entire, amazing group of performers from the Yanni Voices Live from Acapulco show starting March 2nd on your local PBS station!

Full Disclosure: I was never a huge Yanni fan. I had nothing against the guy, but I always thought of his music as something I'd hear waiting to get my teeth cleaned.
Listen up.
I. Was. Wrong.

Take a sneak peek:




The mix of vocal and stage performers and the incredible light effects blends so well with Yanni's music that we were all mesmerized watching on the big screens at Blissdom 09. I hear it had the same effect on those who went to the Mom2.0 Summit. Now I'm going to see what the Twofer think of it. I bet they won't be able to take their eyes away for a minute.

Check your local PBS listing for March 2nd and look for Yanni Voices Live.
In the DC area it's playing Monday, March 2nd at 8:00pm on WETA and I can't wait to see the full show.

Watch and enjoy then tell me what you think!
Were you a Yanni fan before? If not, are you now?

Janine

Johnson's is 50 Years of No More Tears

I can still remember visiting my grandma and having to take a bath at her house. At the age of eight I was way beyond the baby stage, but there was something about that yellow bottle of Johnson's Shampoo that made me smile when she would pull it out from under the sink. I knew I could be a little kid and play in the bath instead of being rushed through a shower.

At my shower for the Twofer I remember I received a baby bathtub filled with goodies including a number of bottles of Johnson's baby wash, shampoo, and lotion. For me Johnson's IS that baby smell, you know, the one you get when you rub their little head under your chin?

Here are some pics of the Twofer in those chubby baby days getting a bath...

M on left L on right, cheeks on both!

Um....excuse me for a minute.

OK, better.

Rarely do I get the urge for another baby but those pictures get me sometimes!

Where was I? Oh, so to celebrate their 50th Anniversary Johnson's has a few new products and thanks to Mom Central we were able to try them out.

I'm not sure I would have bought them otherwise because my twins are now almost six. And yet I found the JOHNSON'S® HEAD-TO-TOE® Foaming Wash great for my girls.

They are at that age where they can shower themselves but the soap keeps slipping out of their hands. The foaming wash comes in a pump which is perfect for them!

The JOHNSON'S® Baby Bubble Bath & Wash comes in a blue bottle and while it's not as great at getting the tangles out, it does give them that baby smell.

Johnson's has a great channel on YouTube where you can watch and submit videos, get special offers, and more.

What's your favorite bath photo? Post a link if you have one online! I'd love to check it out.

Janine

Storytime with the Twofer Twins Week 6 - All About Animals

Technically this is week 7 or even 8 because I've missed a few but give me a break - who's watching these anyway? If you are, please leave a comment so I can share them with the authors.

This week L was inspired to write a book for a baby that is on the way. No, not mine. One of my husband's cousins is having a baby soon and the girls came with me to the baby shower. I'm mailing this book out today to the lucky parents-to-be.



Do you have a creative way to preserve your child's artwork?
I'd love to know about it because this stack of books is growing and while I've captured most on video...I'm thinking I should keep the hard copies too.

Janine

Kajeet Giveaway! The kids cell phone that parents love. {Contest CLOSED}

***UPDATE 3/4/09****
This contest is now closed. The winners are:

The three participating blogs eached picked a winner using Random.org. Then I took those three names and used the List Randomizer from Random. org to come up with the grand prize winner and runners up.

The Grand Prize winner of the Samsung M300 Kajeet Phone goes to....

@auntiethesis from http://auntiethesis.blogspot.com


The runners up and winners of the Kajeet prize packs are....

@minnemom from http://minnemom.com/
Maybe Mama from http://juryreview.blogspot.com/

Congratulations!!!

Thanks for participating and don't forget, if you didn't win you can still get 15% off the cost of a Kajeet phone by using promo code: JANINE when you visit www.kajeet.com!
____________________original post_____________________

Lord knows when the Twofer hit their tween years they will want a cell phone, and frankly, I'm not completely opposed to it. The world can be big and scary and a little crazy, and as a responsible parent with a tendency to be a little neurotic, I'm thinking a cell phone offers some security.

Which is why I'm so happy to have already found Kajeet!

When I first read about Kajeet and explored the website I was really impressed with the level of parental control, and the flexibility of the program. Here's what I liked:

Affordable

With Kajeet no contract is needed and you can pay-as-you go for $.10 a minute.
But for less than $5 a month you can have 10 minutes of call/text time and if you go over, it's just $.10 a minute as opposed to $.32 a minute most "family plans" charge for overages. See the comparison:

Compare Kajeet's Basic Plan ($4.99/month) to most Family Plans

Parental Controls

Parental controls mean that you can work with your tween/teen to manage when the phone is used (Time Manager), decide what numbers and texts to allow (Contact Manager), and even decide who pays for which phone calls. So calls to Grandma can come out of the parent wallet encouraging more calls to Grandma!
The GPS Phone Locator allows you to find the phone at any time. And all of these controls are easy to manage online.

Giveaway

You can enter to win a Samsung M300 Kajeet phone that will come with a $5.00 credit!

This phone does everything kids want it to do (text, photos, games, etc.) and the Kajeet service has everything you as a parent will love.

What's more, I have 2 Kajeet Gift Sets that will go to two runners up!

Here's how to enter:
Choose 1 of these or do all 4 for 4 chances to win!
1. Leave a comment with your favorite Kajeet feature.
2. Subscribe to this blog (click on the RSS button for posts just above the Kajeet image in the right column)
3. Email this contest to 5 of your friends and cc me: scarytwins at yahoo dot com
4. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter (and leave comment here with link)

**Special Note***
For another view of Kajeet visit my new blog friend Toni's blog, The Happy Housewife, on Thursday (2/26) where you can double your chances of winning and then stop by MommaDJane's Blog on Saturday (2/28) where you can enter AGAIN!

Contest ends Tuesday, March 3rd at 11:59pm. Winners will be chosen by Random.org and announced Wednesday, March 4th.

If you don't win the free phone, you can still get 15% off the cost of a Kajeet phone by using this special code at checkout: JN0005

Good luck, and happy phone shopping!
Janine

Yoplait Yo-Plus Yogurt Review and Giveaway! {CONTEST CLOSED}

{Congratulations to the WINNERS!}
Random.org picked the following winners:
So congratulations to: 1) quitecontrary1977 2) Spooky and 3) Jenn
_________________________________________________________

Yogurt is the go-to snack in our house. It's good for you, and more importantly, with 2 bottomless pits called L and M, it fills you up.

I've recently started back at the gym after taking a few months off because I was... just too busy - is that the lamest excuse or what? Anyway, along with working out regularly, I'm really trying to watch what I eat because frankly, that twin tummy is starting to creep back into existence.

That's why I was thrilled to find out my first MyBlogSpark review would be the new Yo-Plus Blueberry Acaí yogurt from Yoplait. At only 110 calories, Yo-Plus is the perfect snack to take the edge off that 3:00 hunger. Yo-Plus has only 1.5 grams of fat and is a good source of fiber, calcium,and vitamin A and D.And the taste? I loved it and The Twofer loved it!

Right now Yo-Plus is now offering a $1.50 off downloadable coupon for a
4-pack of yogurt so there's no excuse not to try it.

What's more, Yoplait is giving me 3 Gift Bags to giveaway to my readers that include:

• a sweet cooler tote bag (Great for packing healthy snacks on those long car rides)

• a 36 oz water bottle (to last all day and it's BPA-Free)
  

• and mini journal to track what you eat, and when you exercise (I always do better when I write down what I eat and this little journal is small enough to fit in your purse or back pocket so you really can take it everywhere.)

• a coupon for a FREE 4-pack of Yo-Plus yogurt (Try the Blueberry Acai, I swear you'll love it.)
  

How can you win one of these great Yoplait Gift Bags?
You can enter up to four times leaving a separate comment for each:

1. Leave a comment and share with me one of your tips for staying healthy.
2. Tweet this contest on Twitter and leave a separate comment with the tweet url.
3. NEW! I have a new Twofer button! Grab the code and add it to your own blog then leave yet another comment with a link (I'm happy to return the favor too!)
4. Email your friends a link to this contest and cc me (scarytwins [at] yahoo [dot] com)

Contest ends Sunday, March 1, 2009 at 10pm
Three winners will be chosen by Random.org and announced Monday, March 2nd.

Good luck!
Now, back to my stomach crunches....502, 503, 504...

Janine

Seeing the Circus on a Budget

We have been working really hard this year to reduce our expenses, and increase our income wherever possible. One area we have done well is entertainment like eating out, going to the movies, and seeing shows.

Which is why I was thrilled to learn from Mom Central of a very special code* to use so to get 4 tickets to The Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus for just $44.00!

I know!
I am freaking out too!
When are we going??!!?!

The Circus is just one of those annual shows we like to see with the girls. Last year my mom said she had not been to the circus since she was little and so we brought her too. Every year the show changes a little bit. Every year we enjoy it more and more. At $11 a person, I know we can swing it this year!

Below is the Very Special Code and 2 ways to use it.

The very special code: MOM

1) Use it to purchase 4 tickets for $44

• Go to www.ticketmaster.com
• Purchase a minimum of 4 tickets
• Enter the code MOM
• You pay on $44!

Fine print: Offer good on all performances, minimum purchase of 4 tickets required; additional tickets above 4 can be purchased at $11 each. Offer not valid on Circus Celebrity Seating, Front Row and VIP seating or combinable with other offers. Other Restrictions May Apply.

2) Want Front Row or VIP?

A select amount of Front Row and VIP seats have been reserved for people with the special code "MOM"! Just enter the code "MOM" when purchasing those seats.


Don't forget about ***Baby's First Circus***

OK, so I might have mentioned this last year but I have a few more readers now and some who have had babies or are going to have them soon. If you are one of them, listen up! If you have a baby under 12 months old and you live in the continental US....
Go to www.Ringling.com and sign up for Baby's First Circus to get

• A free ticket voucher that can be exchanged for a free ticket to any Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey performance, anytime, anywhere. No expiration date!
• A very special personalized baby certificate, printable online!

Dates and cities where families can use the national MOM discount code this spring are as follows:

Newark/East Rutherford/Uniondale/NYC
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® presents ZING ZANG ZOOM
March 5 - April 13
Offer not valid on performances from April 10 - 13 at Madison Square Garden

Washington D.C./ Fairfax, VA/ Baltimore, MD
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® proudly presents Over The Top
March 18-April 19

Philadelphia
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® presents ZING ZANG ZOOM
May 13-May 25

Phoenix
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® presents ZING ZANG ZOOM
June 24-June 28

Houston
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® proudly presents Over The Top
July 15-July 26

Anaheim/LA/Ontario
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® presents ZING ZANG ZOOM
July 8-August 2

San Francisco
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® presents ZING ZANG ZOOM
August 12-August 23

Dallas/Ft Worth
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® proudly presents Over The Top
July 29-August 16

Sacramento
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® presents ZING ZANG ZOOM
August 27-August 30

Kansas City
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® proudly presents Over The Top
September 16-September 20

I can smell the cotton candy from here!
Janine

Another book, an extra hug, a photo and a reminder of what I have

Just because they looked cute

Yesterday I was checking in with a blog hero, Anissa to see how her daughter Peyton was doing after a horrific day getting blood drawn. You see Peyton has cancer. Peyton also recently had her port removed and the family celebrated a Cancer Free day. So this bloodwork would determine whether the party could continue, or if the family would get back on that roller coaster of fear, pain, sadness, worry, and general suckiness. (The results, after a loooong 2 days were good...silent cheer!)

I then caught a tweet by local blog star Jessica about a little angel named Vivi. Of course I went to Jessica's blog and read the post and then HAD to go to Vivi's own blog. And then the tears started.

But I wasn't done. From Vivi's blog there were several other links to blogs about children who are battling cancer, and the parents who are putting on brave faces, celebrating milestones, or in some cases, learning how to say goodbye.

By the time I was done it was after midnight, my eyes were puffy and red, and my heart ached and ached. I think there were a few hiccupy-breaths in there too - you the kind you used to get when you were little and just wailing? Yea, I had that.

But today I woke up a little different.

• I actually read not one, but two books to the girls this morning (I never read before school as we're usually late from the minute we're up!).
• I took extra time to sit with the girls when they got dressed (instead of yelling to them to hurry up as I make lunch).
• Then something unusual happened - they both asked me to put their hair up in a ponytail, my fave! So I took the time to do that too.
• They were so cute in their little skirts with their hair up that we took extra time to take some pictures.
• We were definitely late to school, but I gave them each an extra long hug and kiss before they went into the building.
• I then kept my promise (the same promise I have broken 3 days in a row now) of making chocolate covered strawberries today after school

Today I was a different mom...a better mom - I'm not afraid to say that. I'm improved. I give thanks to those parents who reminded me to appreciate what I have and to take that extra time. I will hug, and kiss, and squeeze, and help, and read to, and cook with, and tickle, and tuck in and everything else more now to honor the parents who can't.

What will you do?

Janine