The Latest Bzz - Pledge Multi-Surface Cleaner

I'm a BzzAgent and last week I received in the mail, the product for my latest Bzz Campaign: Pledge Multi-Surface Cleaner. I got both a spray bottle and some wipes. With BzzAgent you get the opportunity to participate in BzzCampaigns where you get to try new things (products and services) for free (or for a small cost) and share the experiences (and typically coupons) with your friends. If you would like to be a BzzAgent too, you can sign up at BzzAgent.com

This past week, I was noticing that there were some great opportunities to test this multi-surface cleaner. I started by cleaning my kitchen cabinet doors & drawers, where there was splattered milk spots and other sticky stains. I was not disappointed. It cleaned up the mess that was on the doors/drawers and left the surface looking fresh with just a touch of shine. Some of the stickier spots required a little bit of elbow grease, but this didn't surprise me. Then, I used it to dust the glass table top on my decorative table in my foyer. Again, not disappointed. It addressed the dust but left me a streak free finish. It was so convenient to just take the one bottle with me to clean everything. I still have to try the wipes. Since they are individually wrapped, I think I will put some in my car, since it tends to get dusty and maybe take a couple to work.

The product is essentially unscented. This is a good or bad thing, depending on how you look at it. You don't get that freshly cleaned smell that some products give you. On the other hand, unlike some other cleaning products, you aren't bowled over by the smell of the product either.

Pledge Multi Surface cleaner helps eliminate the need to juggle lots of cleaning products, since you can use it on wood, metal, glass, mirrors, electronics, plastic - virtually any hard surface in your home. The only surface that it can't be used on is unsealed wood or granite and marble, because they are porous. It is also anti-static, which means it safe for use on electronics.

The multi-surface formula, cleans and dusts removing dust, fingerprints, smudges and smears. As a mom of two little ones, I have plenty of fingerprints, smudges and smears. My cat helps support the seemingly nonstop generation of dust. So, I have lots of uses for this product.

Pledge Multi Surface comes in two different forms- spray and wipes. The spray comes in a 16 oz bottle and the wipes come in a 25 count package both for a suggested retail price of $4.59. A new 360 fluffy all-around duster, the Multi Surface Disposable Duster is also available. The kit comes with a handle and two dusters for a suggested retail price of $2.99. There is also a refill pack which contains 5 dusters for $4.49.

Want to learn more? Head over to Pledge.com for cleaning tips and more information about Pledge Multi-Surface products.

I've seen postings for free samples of this product recently, but most indicate dead deals. If you sign up for the Right At Home newsletter, you might be able to get some coupons through them. Last night, when I ran to CVS, they had the spray bottles of Pledge Multi-Surface in their clearance section, so you might be able to try it for less that way.

If you've tried this product, let me know what you think of it by leaving a comment. This campaign includes ChatThreads, where you can enter conversation ID: 101 753 3495 and take a short survey. Then, you can have ChatThreads donate up to $5 to charity or enter to win up to $500 in Amazon.com gift certificates. If you tell someone else about Pledge Multi-Surface Cleaners, share this conversation code with them and they too can log on to donate or enter to win.

CVS Deals - 9/5

I noticed when I logged onto CVS.com a while back that there were some ECBs still on my account that I didn't have in my possession. Originally, when I called, I was told there was nothing they could do. Having read on a blog that if your ECBs don't print that they can force them, I decided to try and call customer service again this week. This time, they still told me they couldn't put them back on my card, but they could give the coupon code and my store could enter it manually.

To me, this was found money, I couldn't let it go to waste and it was due to expire tomorrow. Since I had already made my trip this week, there weren't any deals I was in pursuit of, so I headed to the clearance row to look for some deals. My regular store doesn't have this type of an area, their clearance items are throughout the store. At the store I was shopping at today I was able to find quite a lot of items on 75% and 50% off clearance. I did learn though that it is important to check expiration dates. Some of the product on clearance was expired, by multiple months. Here's what I got:

2 - 32 oz Gatorade Lemonade
1 - 1000ct bendy straws
1 - 50ct Travel CVS Cotton Swabs (I got an e-mail with a coupon for a free one)

Spent the $3 ECB and $0.47 OOP.

You can check out my weekly deals here.

Tortellini with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Peppers

Jessica over at Life As Mom recently had a baby and she is hosting a recipe swap for Post-Baby Indulgences and wants to know:

"Do you have a recipe that you love but which might be off limits during pregnancy? A favorite dish that you have to forgo for safety or dietary reasons for the gestational period? Share it with us!"

I have to say that I was not made aware of all the taboo foods by my doctor. And, in the reading I did, I don't remember seeing it. I knew that I should limit tuna fish and other types of fish due to the risk of mercury overdose, but I had never heard about the hot dogs, lunch meat, soft cheeses, etc. that everyone refers to. With my son, I craved hoagies - piled high with bologna, salami and ham. I had trouble finding a good cold cut hoagie and probably haven't had one since. I had one friend, who when pregnant, would cook her lunch meat so she could continue to indulge, since her doctor had told her about lunch meat being taboo. She would either simply microwave it or put it under the broiler.

To me the "taboo" foods that I missed enjoying were those that caused me the greatest distress. During my first pregnancy, it was bacon. I had the flu when I was first pregnant and the last meal I had before the flu included bacon. Needless to say, after that uprising, I couldn't stomach the smell of bacon, let alone eat it during the balance of my pregnancy. With my second pregnancy, it was an indigestion/nausea issue. Anything tomato based didn't sit well with me. That meant joining my family for Mexican or Italian treats was off limits. Then, when I was done being pregnant and decided to nurse, I quickly learned there were a lot of foods that caused my baby GI distress: peppers and cucumbers to name a few. I eventually figured out that if I pumped after eating those foods, I could split that milk between several bottles and it didn't upset them. So, eventually, that is what I did.

So, here is a recipe that would have been hard to stomach during pregnancy and hard on the baby during nursing:

Tortellini with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Peppers

1 bag Tortellini
1 red pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 orange pepper, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 package Sun-Dried Tomatoes, soak in hot water and slice
Shredded Parmesan
olive oil

Prepare the tortellini according to the package, drain and set aside.

In a large skillet or wok, saute your peppers with a touch of olive oil. You don't want to brown them, just warm them. Add the sun-dried tomatoes. Add the tortellini and toss with some additional olive oil. Cook until the tortellini is slightly browned. Sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

It really is a very simple, yet delicious dish. It has such a fresh flavor. I sometimes leave out the green peppers since they aren't as sweet as the other colors. I also have been known to add some onion to give it a little more depth.

For other ideas, check out the post at Life As Mom.

Update 9/8: You can also check out Mmm Monday over at Mommies with Cents for some other great recipes. They posted a recipe for Snickers Cookies. Sounds like a tasty treat for Snickers lovers.