My daughter was chosen as one of the lucky ones to receive a room makeover from Wal-Mart. Let’s just say the next area code heard her excitement. I feel like such a dunce as I realized that I should have taken a before picture so you could have seen the amazing transformation of this room. I will try to paint you a brief mental image. This room used to be my 19 year old’s room (boy). Imagine very dark burgandy walls, meduim gray ceiling and trim, lots of posters on the wall and lots of furniture. It was a very cluttered and busy room. It looked nice but not anything what a 16yo girl would like.

The first task was painting. All paint ans supplies were bought from Wal-Mart. She wanted a like of beachy colored theme.

The items below are Your Zone items from Wal-Mart to match her color choices.

Since we needed other stuff and we had some money left over we bought all of the items below from Wal-Mart.

I reupholstered the seat to my daughter’s vanity to match her room. I used the flat sheet that came with the set of Your Zone sheets that we got as the material so it would match. I think it turned out so good. My first time doing something like this.

I am very impressed with Your Zone products and love the way my daughter’s room turned out. Check out the video below!

Prize:
1 lucky reader will win a $500 gift card from Wal-Mart!!!

Main Entry:
Check out Wal-Mart’s Your Zone, then come back here and tell us who is lucky enough to get their own Your Zone makeover and what design would they want for their room.

Extra Entries:
1. Subscribe to my email updates – 2 entries
2. Favorite me in Technorati (button in network section on right) (leave ID)- 3 entries
3. Blog about this giveaway (please leave link) - 5 entries
4. Add The Mud Bug button to your blogroll (please leave link) – 3 entries
5. Connect with The Mud Bug – 5 entries

Giveaway ends Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 11:59 AM EST

**Please leave one separate comment for each entry**

One (1) winner will be chosen randomly from all valid entries. The winner will then be emailed once and that winner must claim their prize within 48hrs or a new winner will be picked or live giveaway will be done.

If your children are anything like my children then they must love playing outside. I have a hard time keeping them inside. We have almost every imaginable outside toy (thanks to grandparents). They would be outside morning, noon and night if I let them. So when I was given the opportunity to do a review for Step 2 I was excited and thrilled to say the least.

About The Step2® Company, LLC:
The Step2® Company, LLC is a family company with brands including Step2®, Infantino®, and Thinkativity® that foster learning and development through creative play in children from birth to school-age years.

• Step2, based in Streetsboro, Ohio, is the largest American manufacturer of preschool and toddler toys and the world’s largest rotational molder of children’s and home products, including children’s play kitchens, playhouses, outdoor toys and ride on toys, as well as home products such as mailboxes, gardening aids and trash cans.
• Infantino, headquartered in San Diego, Calif. is a leading designer and international distributor of innovative and original infant, toddler, and preschool products. Featuring fashion-forward designs, the popular product lines include classic creative baby toys and puzzles, innovative soft baby carriers, and simple, no-fuss baby travel systems.
• New Jersey-based Thinkativity is a leading innovator of electronic and early learning toys promoting inventive play patterns through original musical compositions and stories that inspire children to explore, play and learn.
• Step2, in partnership with Case Western Reserve University’s Schubert Center for Child Studies, sponsors CreativePlayPlus.com, an online resource to provide parents with the latest research on creative play and child development. Visit www.creativeplayplus.com for more information on this partnered initiative.

Visit www.step2.com, www.infantino.com and www.thinkativity.com to learn more about The Step2 Company brands.

Commitment to Product Safety:
Step2 puts all of its toys through rigorous safety testing and produces the highest quality products for families. With increased concerns about toy manufacturing, Step2 believes it has a responsibility to clearly communicate the country of origin of its products. The company values its customers’ desire to make informed purchasing decisions and therefore provides prominent labeling on all of its products.

Awards and Recognition:
Step2 designs and produces new toys that receive recognition every year for their durability, creative play value, and fun designs. In addition to the rave reviews that Step2 receives from kids and parents nationwide.

The Water Rush Quarry is a  multi-level design that allows water to cascade from top to bottom like a flowing river. The set includes one crane, two bridges, a tunnel, a dam, a ramp, a bucket, a shovel and two construction vehicles. This quarry is flexible and easily converted into a small, single level play table. It came out of the box with only about 5 steps to do. It was very easy to assemble.

The girls LOVED playing with the Water Rush Quarry. They played with it for hours. Even my little guy enjoyed playing with it or should I say in it, lol. The only negative thing I have to say about this product is that the road pieces do not stay attached very well. They fall off with very little touching. The girls didn’t seem to mind but as a parent I found it annoying.

In my opinion the price is a bit high for this product but the girls loved it so I guess it is worth it. You can purchase this product from Step 2, Wal-Mart, and Target.

Earth Day was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970. This Day marked the beginning of the modern environmental movement all over the world and it is celebrated in many countries each year on April 22. Talking about this pro environment protest, Senator Gaylord Nelson said that he wanted to “put the environment into the political ‘limelight’ once and for all” and to rise the concern about the environmental crisis.

April 22, 2010 will be Earth Day’s 40th anniversary. This date is slated to be the world’s turning point and a shift toward global sustainability symbolized by the birth of The Green Generation™.

Tips on Saving Money (and our Earth)

• Use CFL (compact fluorescent light-bulbs)
• Unplug all appliances that are not being used (coffee pot, toaster, cell phone cords, etc)
• Fix leaky pipes/faucets
• Recycle as much as possible so they can be resued to make other things
• Use your own cloth bags when shopping
• Buy clothing made from organic material
• Buy in bulk, concentrated laundry soap, etc. as this helps to reduce the pkg material
• Take shorter showers and turn off the water when shaving or brushing your teeth
• Try to walk or ride a bike whenever possible
• Try cutting food into smaller pieces as this helps to cook the food faster

Exclusively at Wal-Martis White Cloud’s new line of paper towels and toilet tissue that is made of 100% recycled fiber from everyday recyclables such as office paper and magazines which help to deflect megatons of post-consumer waste from entering our landfills. This helps to save our trees from commercial harvest. The toilet tissue only comes in giant rolls which uses 15% less packaging. Plus, the paper, tube and packaging materials are all recyclable.

I was given an opportunity by Wal-Mart to review White Cloud’s paper towels and toilet tissue. I have to say I was a bit skeptical at first but I was pleasantly surprised. The paper towels work just as well and any other competitor’s towels. The toilet tissue was very soft. So why not purchase White Cloud and help save our earth.

You can go HERE to get a coupon for your next purchase!

Tips to Use Less and Recycle

• Use rechargeable batteries and recycle disposable ones
• Create a compost pile
• Buy in bulk (reduces packaging waste)
• Pack your own lunches and use reuseable containers
• Recycle your old eyeglasses
• Install water filters on your faucets (reduces plastic bottle waste)
• Recycle e-waste (such as computer, cell phones, printer cartridges)

Here is a special download for all of you – 2009 Family Guide to Going Green (it is a PDF file). Lots of great info!

Being part of More Than Eleven Moms (Wal-Mart) I am sent some really cool items. Recently, I was sent some soy candles from The Fragrance Collection by Glade. I received 3 scents – earth awakening, orange vanilla and apple macintosh. These candles smell so good. They come in 6 scents. You don’t even need to light them and they still make you room smell nice. These candles are 92.4% natural. I love candles and these are awesome! They also have reed diffusers as well. You can purchase these candles from your local Wal-Mart.

Valentine’s day is over. Anyone want to let us know what you did?

Here is what we planned: First we decided we were going to go to Best Buy to get some compressed air, to do a little Spring cleaning on out computer, and then go to the mall to get some dinner. All 4 kids in tow (our 5th is 18 and out on his own date).

Here is what happened: We ALL went to Art Van to look for some bunk beds for the girls (thanks to a small IRS refund check) just to compare. I had already pick out a set at  Wal-Mart weeks ago but DH wanted to check some where else. Well, he should have listened as we ended up getting the set at Wal-Mart. I guess he hasn’t figured out that I am always right, lol. By this time our 3 girls were begging for food so we headed towards the mall. We ended up at Chili’s (thanks to some coupons I found at the bottom of my purse). We had a wonderful time! Finally, we ended up at Best Buy (but we had bought the compressed air at Wal-Mart). Everything can be bought at Wal-Mart. Keep that in mind for the future. I am serious.

 

Oh forgot to mention that after dinner I had to go back to Wal-Mart to pick up the bunk beds because they wouldn’t fit in our van with 6 people in it. I finally got home at 10pm EST. I am so tired. It was worth it since I bought a great set for a great price.

That was my day. Hope yours was equally as fun. Please leave a comment and let me (and others) know how your day went.