According to a national survey, granite countertops are the number one way to make your home feel luxurious, but cleaning them with everyday products may be doing more harm than good. Particularly if you’re like me and clean with vinegar. If you have stone in your home, I highly suggest you get yourself some DuPont™ Stone Care products to protect, clean and enhance the beautiful handiwork that you put a significant investment in to.

“Although they seem like extremely hard surfaces, granite, marble, travertine, slate and other types of natural stone commonly used in homes are extremely porous,” said Steve Wolf, general manager – DuPont™ Stone Care. “A stone’s polished shine doesn’t mean it is sealed, allowing substances like juice, wine, ink and perfume to seep in, causing irreparable damage. Homeowners are shocked when they see how quickly 10 cents worth of olive oil can destroy their $10,000 countertop. Properly sealing and cleaning natural stone surfaces is like an insurance policy against stains and spills, protecting its value, beauty and style.”

DuPont™ Stone Care products address the needs of budget-conscious homeowners today with cost-effective, correctly formulated, protecting, enhancing and cleaning products designed for everyday use. “Many homeowners don’t ask for advice until after the damage has been done and expensive restoration is necessary,” said Wolf. “With just a few simple steps and regular cleaning using the correct products, countertops and floors will look new for a lifetime.”

The DuPont stone care system I received to review consists of three products, and I think DuPont can explain their purposes better than I can:

PROTECT: Stones have different porosity because of their mineral composition and geological formation, but all natural stone is porous. Within seconds, a renegade splash of anything from ketchup to cosmetics can sink deep into stone, often penetrating all the way through to the other side, forever leaving an unsightly spot behind. The best way to prevent stains on natural stone and grout lines is to treat its surface with a sealer to offer protection and keep it looking new. While many stones are pre-sealed or sealed during installation, these sealers often wear away from everyday use and certain all-purpose cleaners. Depending on the amount of use, a countertop or floor can become susceptible to stain penetration within one year, with most sealers fading away after five years. DuPont™ Stone Care sealers protect natural stone and include DuPont™ Granite & Marble Countertop Sealer, DuPont™ Premium Stone Sealer and DuPont™ Grout Sealer.

ENHANCE: Whether daily use has dulled the stone, or a shinier “wet” look is desired, the use of an enhancer can restore the luster to polished stone and tile, or bring out the surface’s color, depth and beauty. DuPont™ Stone Care has many specially formulated enhancing products to treat most natural stone and tile surfaces, with or without shine, including DuPont™ Granite & Marble Countertop Polish and DuPont™ Stone Sealer & Enhancer.

I have a granite countertop in my new home and was very VERY pleased with the results of all three of them. I’ll gladly be purchasing more of the same products when they’re used it, and I’m so glad to know that these lovely counters will look great for years to come.

DuPont stone care products are available in a variety of sizes & packages and your local home improvement store. ~by Andi

Win it! Comment on this post before noon mst on September 13, 2010 to enter to win a DuPont stone care kit. Don’t forget to get your extra entries too!

CONTEST CLOSED. WINNER EMAILED. CONGRATS PAM!

ETA: Apparently the one item we were so excited to open with is out of stock! Dang! Will update when someone tells us it’s back. Grrrr…

Two years ago, I reviewed a magnetic calendar for preschoolers & school aged kids my family is still using to this day and just love. For that reason, I’ve made it the first item for sale in our new OpenSky Shop!

Now, with two preschool aged children, the magnetic weekly calendar from 2fishkids is even more a part of our day. It’s such a great visual organizer for little people, and a sanity saver for this mama. It’s well organized, colourful and personalized to my children and their incredibly busy weeks. It teaches about the days of the week, seasons, weather and more.

The fully magnetic calendar measures 13 1/8” x 8 1/8” and comes with 58 activity, season and weather magnets, a dry erase marker and a storage bag. Because of the smallish magnets, it’s recommended for ages 3+. This indispensable preschool tool retails for just $20 and you can now buy it right from us without leaving our site!

Our OpenSky shop is small – one item only at this time – because of our promise to test out each and every item we sell and only sell things that we love. From each sale, we will make a small amount (~$1-$3) but you pay no more than you would if you had to do all of the shopping around on your own and purchased the same item from their own or any other third-party site. We do all of the work for you, and hope you love shopping with your trusted friends at T.O.P!

I just finished reading the newly released book based on blog: My Formerly Hot Life: Dispatches from Just the Other Side of Young, all about the ups and downs of aging out of young.

Honestly, when I read the first few pages I wondered if I’d like it. I assumed it would be something written by your stereotypical real housewives type who is still way hotter than I was even at 21 and I’d just find her annoying. I’m glad to admit I was wrong! (Don’t tell my husband I said that.) It’s inspiring and humorous, and each chapter gave me some insight into either my own life or the lives & heads of my friends. It’s a lighthearted & easy read, and yet is a profoundly revealing at where I’ve been (I had no idea I was formerly anything other than formerly childless!) and am going along with millions of other women around the world whose boobs are beginning to sag and whose crows feet are getting deeper every year.

Buy it at our affiliate, Amazon for less than 15 bucks. I vote for one or two of your circle of friends to buy it, share it around and then have a ladies night with plenty of wine to talk about how wonderfully freeing it is to be a ‘formerly’ who knows what she wants and how blessed she is to be alive.

Check out Stephanie’s YouTube channel – she’s hilarious!

Win it! Enter to win a copy of My Formerly Hot Life: Dispatches from Just the Other Side of Young by commenting on this post before noon mst on September 1, 2010.

We’re taking a screen-free ten days with our children starting tomorrow. See you in ten days!

Children who have never experienced missing one or both of their parents are few & far between these days. Parents work, travel for fun without their children, get deployed, get sick…there are so many things that take parents from their children, and Cuddletunes aims to make those times a little easier on everyone. Cuddletunes began when five year old Olivia missed her daddy. Olivia’s parents, Cuddletunes cofounders David and Cherie, were tucking their daughter in for bed the day before David left on a business trip to New York.

“I’m going to miss you so much honey. You know how much I love you right?” David kissed his daughter on the forehead and she nodded.

“I wish you could tell me that when you’re gone and I’m going to sleep at night. I wish I had a daddy doll so I could hear your voice when I miss you.” This gave Cherie and David the idea that eventually led to Cuddletunes. They talked to their friends Denise and Mike, also parents, who came on board as cofounders. Four years later, in 2007, Olivia’s idea has been transformed and they’re selling bears, but their focus is the same: helping families stay close.

When it comes to comforting a child, there is nothing quite like a good old-fashioned teddy bear. The Cuddletunes Social Networking Bear is a hybrid: she is just as cuddly and sweet as the teddy bear you loved as a child, but is also equipped with a built-in MP3 player. Parents, grandparents, and loved ones can record a story, song, or message from anywhere and upload it to the Cuddletunes site and it is in turn downloaded onto the MP3 player inside the bear via a USB connection. She’s called a social networking bear because in conjunction with their website she’s helping families stay connected more than ever before. Each bear also includes five lullabies sung by professional singers and customized with the child’s name.

My daughter received a Cuddletunes bear and it’s utterly awesome. You can’t feel the mp3 player at all – the bear really is as soft as any other good quality teddy bear – and the quality of the recordings are fabulous. Setting it up online for her was ridiculously easy – her name was available in the professionally pre-recorded songs so I simply had to type in her name, and then I recorded myself reading her a personalized story using the built in mic on my camera (fully guided by Cuddletunes – I’m not that creative!) The Cuddle Tunes Bear with pre-loaded player retails for $59.95.

Win it! Enter to win your own Cuddletunes bear with a comment (or up to five comments!) on this post before noon mst on August 14, 2010.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED (Congrats Betty!)

Parents in the know are all aware that iPhones are a lifesaver when it comes to preventing meltdowns in public. Hand the kid a phone with a great app and you’re golden for another 15 minutes of shopping!

The My Living Stories digital storybook apps combine beautiful artwork, narration and interactive features in an easy to use platform that is perfect for preschoolers to read along all on their own, without any help. My Living Stories are a great solution for entertaining on-the-go or as an aid for teaching children to read at home. The apps allow for your child to read along with English or French narration or read the stories themselves. Interactive sounds and animation bring stories to life. Another great feature is the ability to record your own voice to go along with the story (this feature requires an iPhone or iPod Touch with microphone capabilities). My Living Story classic stories include Princess & the Pea, King Midas, The Tortoise & the Hare, Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks and the Three Bears – fairy tales you’d want your children to know anyway.

Story apps are some of my faves, because I don’t feel like I’m contributing to my kids’ future video game addictions but rather to their literacy & tech-savvy…ness. Unfortunately because our server was in the (flooded) basement and that’s where my iTunes folder is, I haven’t been able to play with My Living Stories yet, but they’re there waiting for me whenever my *^$!ing basement is done!

Win it! Canadians only: Enter to win a $25 iTunes card! Just leave a comment on this post before Friday August 6 at midnight mst telling me which My Living Stories story you would like the most.

For extra entries:

1. Tweet about the contest @opinionated with the hashtag #MyLivingStories and leave an extra comment when you do so.
2. Blog about the contest and leave an extra comment when you do so.

…and all of the usual extra entries apply too!

Contest is unfortunately, only open to Canadians. You may enter this contest on multiple blogs, but are only eligible to win one iTunes gift card as part of the My Living Stories contest.

Disclosure – I am participating in the My Living Stories program by Mom Central on behalf of Decode Entertainment. I received 3 free apps and a gift card as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.

It’s a long weekend here in Canada so we’ll be enjoying the day as a family.

We’ll be back tomorrow with another fabulous review & giveaway!