Melaleuca Products- tough and safe

When we were contacted by Carol to try Melaleuca  products I will say this, I thought "well, just another safe, eco-friendly company with their products." This was until I received the box in the mail! I have always been a fan of safe(r) products, green(er) products, eco-friendly(ier) products but quite a few fall short of my standards. (No, not all-I have some amazing "go-to" products that you would never be able to remove from my closet! It has taken a great deal of searching for me to find cleaning products that meet my standards. Melaleuca is a direct sales company founded in 1985, one of the world leaders in quality wellness products.

My standards:
Safe for pets and kids
Green(er)
No-harsh fumes
and the MUST- they must work!

This past weekend was "clean the bathrooms" weekend and I got the chance to test out Melaleuca's Ecosense Tub and Tile Bathroom Cleaner as well as the Tough and Tender Cleaning Wipes. I mixed the Tub and Tile cleaner according to the directions and sprayed it on my clear glass shower doors and waited a few minutes to see if any magic occurred. We don't have terribly hard water but the people that lived here before us must not have been bothered by water stains, calcium build up and lime scale because our glass shower doors showed it. I tried quite a few green and eco friendly products to get the doors sparkling but I will say I resorted to a well known, non-green brand because it did the job I needed. After a few minutes I hopped back in the shower and took my tub scrubber and gently rubbed the glass down and then grabbed a glass and rinsed away the Tub and Tile cleaner. To my surprise and astonishment my glass doors were completely clear and free of water spots. Score 1 for Melaleuca! The only negative I would give about their Tub and Tile cleaner is that it does tend to have a more harsh and strong odor (I started coughing in the shower when I sprayed it on the doors.) But after a crack of the window and a flip of the fan switch I was able to breathe without a care and I will say that it is worth it because my shower doors are SO pretty now!

I finished wiping down the counters, sink, toilet and bench in my bathroom with the Tough and Tender Cleaning Wipes and they worked fantastic too! I am not a fan of wearing rubber gloves when cleaning (my hands get too sweaty) so my hands usually feel like sandpaper when I am done cleaning the bathroom. Not this time! These cleaning wipes were exactly as they said: Safer for your home, highly effective, powered by nature, eco-friendly and a better value. They didn't leave a streaky mess behind either! Score 2 for Melaleuca!

Carol was sweet enough to send a few other products along with the samples! She supplied me my hubby with a Attain nutrition bar in Chocolate Caramel Nut flavor and Sweet and Salty Nut flavor. He also gave a good test run with the On The Go Sustain Sport-Ruby Red Grapefruit performance hydration drink. Why didn't I try them? Well, if I am being honest (and I always am) I don't exercise (insert jaw drop here). And, I know my husband has a REALLY hard to please palate. Well the verdict was in... Score 3 for Melaleuca! He said the Attain bars were awesome! He loves the Sustain sport drink too! He said they didn't have a "diet" taste to them and he really liked that! These products contain no High Fructose Corn Syrup and are low in carbs (which is amazing if you are a diabetic!)

So what is the final score? Ahhhhmazing products! Thanks so much Carol for introducing us to Melaleuca and their products! We hope that all of you will take some time and visit her site by clicking on her ad on the side bar.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Carol of Melaleuca. The opinions and text are all mine.

Free Pizza For a Year at Old Chicago!!

As we mentioned in a previous post, Old Chicago is re-branding themselves.  This means they are getting a whole new look and a whole new menu!  Don't worry, they still have their same great pizzas and their same great beer selection, they are just expanding to make them better!

The Old Chicago in Eden Prairie Minnesota is the first in the nation to undergo this re-branding!  Lindsi and I had a chance to check out the new look and menu this past weekend (more to come later...) but the public re-opening will be on Monday, March 19th at 10:45 am.  The first 100 guests at the public re-opening event will receive free pizza for a year!

In addition, the first Toys In The Dryer reader to find me, and the first Toys In The Dryer reader to find Lindsi at the re-opening event (can not be the same person) will get a swag box containing a $25 gift card and a t-shirt!  How cool is that!?

Can't make the re-opening event?  No need to worry, we are giving away a t-shirt a day plus one more $25 gift card on our Facebook page!  Just head over there every day and answer that day's trivia question to be entered to win.  A random winner will be chosen at 10:00pm Central Time each day from the correct trivia answers.  The day of the re-opening event, we will choose a random winner from all the entries over the past days to win the $25 gift card!

When I think of Old Chicago, I think of a bar/restaurant that is dark and crowded.  Not any more!  The re-design is much more open with vaulted ceilings and lots of light!  There's now plenty of room to have your family and friends eat!  See above?  Yep, that's a baby sling!

In fact, the new Old Chicago now has multiple options to choose from when it comes to accommodating your family!  With 6 children between the 2 of us, that really stood out to Lindsi and me! 

Their new menu has many to-die-for foods!  In addition to their already famous pizzas, they've added new appetizers, sandwiches, salads and more!  We highly recommend the Dippin' Dough appetizer (*drool*) and Italian Beef Panini sandwich (hungry now!)!

The new bar area?  Totally awesome!  Open and airy with a combo of old and contemporary style.  They've added more taps so you can enjoy more fresh beer!

 

They even have this really awesome screen that tells you how fresh the beer is and who's checked in via Foursquare!

So Twin Cities readers...come join Lindsi and me at Old Chicago in Eden Prairie on Monday, March 19th at 10:45 for their grand re-opening and hopefully get free pizza for a year or a $25 gift card and t-shirt!!

One more thing before we end this post:

Lindsi's reaction to a "really beery beer!"

*Lindsi and I received tickets to the VIP event and other promotional items for this post.  All opinions are 100% our own.

VIP Event at Old Chicago!--Giveaway

I don't know about you, but my family loves Old Chicago! My girls like to eat pizza while my husband and I love to try unique beers that we normally wouldn't buy. What's better than pizza for the kids and beer for the adults?!

Old Chicago in Eden Prairie will be the first Old Chicago in the nation to undergo a rebranding for the company. What does this mean? It is getting a new look and a new menu! Don't worry, they will still have a fabulous beer menu, it's just going to be bigger and better! This rebranding for Old Chicago is meant to help the restaurant "stay true to it's roots of handmade pizzas and craft beers while expanding appeal to a wider audience."

 According to the press release,

"The Old Chicago menu has been revamped to shine the spotlight on the restaurant’s commitment to crafted, 'craveable' items. Among the new menu changes, a new tavern-style thin crust will be introduced to complement the existing deep dish pizzas, and the restaurant will nearly double its salad selection with a combination of chopped and tossed salads all with homemade dressings. Eden Prairie residents may also choose from seven new appetizers, three new soups, a line of Panini sandwiches and an expanded pasta section, all cooked to order. The restaurant will also introduce several new healthier items such as a Portobello Fresco Sandwich and Roasted Tomato & Basil Fettuccine."

Can't wait to try some of this new stuff!  Do you think I can get my kids to steer away from the pizza?  Probably not.  Go ahead, get a sneak peak at Old Chicago's awesome new menu!

For mom and dad:

"Similar to the updated food menu, Old Chicago will unveil a new draft system with 36 taps that ensure the highest quality beer delivery system available today. The restaurant also will host exclusive brewery events and pre-release beers. To ensure that everyone get the most out of their beer experience, Old Chicago has put a number of its bartenders though a Cicerone certification program, a program that allows them to take on the role of a beer sommelier. The restaurant has also developed a comprehensive “Beer Guide” that lists all the restaurant’s beer offerings and includes user-friendly icons that describe the flavor components of each beer to help guests make the perfect selection every time."

Here's Old Chicago's updated beer menu!  I love that they've got symbols to help me decide which one I want to try!

Now for the fun part:   

We're giving away tickets for one of our readers plus a guest to attend Old Chicago's VIP Re-Opening Party!

FYI: Though we encourage you to spend more time with your kids, we realize that sometimes you need some adult time.  Though we can't guarantee there won't be kids at this event, for the purpose of our giveaway, please consider this adults only.

We're doing some fun trivia questions for our giveaway!  To find the answers, look at the food and beer menus.  Answer as many questions as you want for one entry each.

a Rafflecopter giveaway Can't make the VIP event or didn't win tickets? Never fear, next week we're giving away gift cards and t-shirts to celebrate the official ribbon cutting on March 19th at 10:45 am. Did you know the first 100 people to arrive for the ribbon cutting ceremony receive free pizza for a year?!

Lindsi and I were provided tickets to the VIP event in exchange for it's promotion.  All opinions are 100% our own.