So for the past month I’ve been waking up to the easiest cup of coffee I ever made. I go in the kitchen, push 1 button and within 60 seconds I have a super fresh cup of premium coffee that is brewed just for me. No more wasted coffee, no fidgeting with spoons or coffee filters. It’s just me, my mug, my K-Cup and my Keurig.

Please, don’t ask me what a Keurig is. I am ashamed to say I am a late buzzer on this one must-have overall – but it would make a hot gift for a coffee lover in your family this Christmas. I am talking better than Starbucks, here. In fact, it’s like having a your own Barrista in your kitchen!

Keurig manufactures 6 different one-cup brewers that can be used in an office setting, at home or even in a tiny cubicle or dorm room. Coffee for everyone! The one that the Mom Buzz has been thoroughly testing, cup after cup, is the Keurig Platinum Home Brewing System.

It took me three cups of coffee to figure out how to brew without running into human-error. Honestly, how are you supposed to run anything electronic without coffee in your system yet? But once you have a few cups and can actually read directions it’s quite simple. Here is how I run mine.

I have mine programmed to turn on at 7 am. I wake up, choose a K-Cup Flavor and place it in the  choose my cup size and then hit brew. Here is a video so you can see how simple it.

Make your drink your way, cup-by-cup: Normally when I use a coffee cup I make it to my liking, which is strong. And when I make a pot – I make at least 4 cups. So then I am stuck with 4 cups of THAT FLAVOR. As good as it is, I like to switch between vanilla, hazelnut, holiday options, etc. And I really only drink 1 cup a day. Sometimes I drink 2. So often those 4 cups are spread out over days and/or wasted. But with the Keurig I can brew one cup, as strong as I like.

Great for Entertaining: When my dad comes over, I can brew him his cup as strong as he wants and a different flavor. It makes it EXCELLENT for entertaining at parties, because every guest gets to have their own perfect cup brewed just for them. And it is just as good, and way less expensive, than store bought. And since the brewer is always ready there is no LAG time for guests as you get out the coffee, measure, find the filters, pouring in water and let it drip drip drip into the coffee pot.

Did you hear – NO LAG TIME: Honestly, all you do is pop in the K-Cup with your choice of coffee and you get coffee right into your mug in 60 seconds.

Less to Clean or Buy: With the Keurig there is no more wasted time cleaning the plastic filter or coffee pot. And there is no more buying paper filters! All you have to buy is the coffee! The coffee comes in individual K-Cups. You can buy a package of the same K-Cups or you can get Variety Packs.

K-CUPS:

Your grind is portioned into pre-packaged K-Cups to use with your Keurig. K-Cups are airtight for freshness, have an ideal measure of grinded beans for a cup of coffee, uses pressurized hot water for optimum flavor and includes a filter for flavor extraction. There are over 200 varities of coffee, tea and speciality drinks – like hot cocoa – to choose from.

The Keurig came with a few samples, like Van Houtte French Vanilla, Green Mountain Coffee Breakfast Blend, Organic beans, Tully’s Kona Blend, etc. As you can see, I named a few coffee brands here. Don’t be surprised if your favorite brand comes in a K-Cup already! I saw familiar names like Green Mountain Coffee, Gloria Jean’s, Newman’s Own Organics, Emeri’s GOurmet Coffee, Caribou Coffee and Celestial Seasonings – just to name a few.

Coffees come in Extra Bold, Dark Roast, Medium Roast, Light Roast and Decaf. And the flavors are overly abundant. To me, French Vanilla is a must. But I also tried Caramel Vanilla Nut, German Chocolate Cake, and Hazelnut. The French Vanilla was so delicious I had to hide it from myself to ensure there was more than enough for when my dad comes to visit.

If you are insistent that you want to keep using your specific brand or type of coffee, then the Keurig is still a perfect fit. All you need to do is buy the Reusable K Cup Filter Basket and use your own beans.

The Platinum Brewer is $169.95. One of the best parts of this brewer is that you can choose between 5 cup settings. I like mine a little strong, lots of my friends like theirs weak, my dad likes the recommended setting. So pretty much, everyone is happy with their cup thanks to the Platinum Brewer. No more complaints of how strong I made it.Although, since I drink it the most I love the “Set Your Favorite Cup Size” option.

There are a lot of digital options that help save time. I love that there is an auto on/off. I don’t use the Auto Off, I just shut it off when I am sure I am done with coffee, which can be anywhere between noon and 6pm. But the Auto On is AWESOME. My coffee is ready to brew at 7am! Of course, since it has an auto on and off, it also has a digital clock. There is an adjustable temperature control, although I leave it on factory settings. The water resorvoir holds 60 ounces of water, which is like ten cups. That totally saves time! And the removable drip tray is super easy to remove and clean. You can even move it out of the way to fill up a tall travel mug with coffee.

There are other brewers available for home use, though. For a personal office of dorm room, the Mini Brewer is perfect and only $89.95.  For family use there is also the Elite and Special Edition Keurigs. Those are $99 and $129.

Overall, every Keurig owner I’ve met is a happily caffeinated one. Even when I talk to other coffee lovers on the street, I am amazed at how many own are contemplating owning a Keurig. Do-it, Do-it! If someone says they haven’t had their coffee yet, I say they need a Keurig. One minute, people, to coffee your way!

One Blog Reader will receive the Keurig Platinum Brewer.

MANDATORY, FIRST ENTRY: Visit Keurig and tell me your favorite feature.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry. But for extra entries, you can do the following – leave a comment for each:

• Add the Mom Buzz to your Twitter and Tweet the contest. Leave your Tweet Link. (1 tweet per day is allowed)
• Blog about the contest – add a link to the Mom Buzz and the Sponsor
• Add the Mom Buzz button to your site
• Add the Mom Buzz to your blogroll.
• Enter the GE appliance give-away – you can do this daily!
• What K-Cup do you want to try? (You can choose a different K-Cup every day to enter daily!)
• Enter the Timex Give-away at As They Grow Up’s Holiday Gift Guide! (It’s a $149 watch!)

Contest ends 11/27/09. Please refer to complete contest rules. The entries listed above are the ONLY entries for this contest. Winners will be notified by e-mail (if supplied in the entry or on profile page), as well as on the Winner’s Wall.

This is solely the opinion of the Mom Buzz. Other people may have different experiences with the product. The Mom Buzz was provided a Brewer to review. And don’t forget to enter my other hot contests so you can win and try buzzworthy products!

We saw an Alligator Feeding at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. It was pretty amazing. They are HUGE! There is a lot to do and the boys really loved it. Although, my oldest just wanted to see the monkeys. Hello, kid! We are at an ALLIGATOR FARM! But yes, there are also moneys, snakes and birds.

This is how badly I needed a hand vac with power … I actually take my vacuum and instead of using the handtools, I will lift my vacuum onto the couch to get as much suction power as possible to clean off the messes my boys leave behind.

The day that the couch (and surrounding area) need the most help are days I give the boys cereal. Next thing you know there are thousands of cocoa flakes all over the place. And honestly, taking the vacuum out to clean the couch can be a PITA.

So I was thrilled when the opportunity came to test the Dirt Devil Gator Series. It is designed with a dirt cup that flips open for easy emptying, as you remove debris with a quick press of the side buttons. This allows you to minimize your contact with dirt.

Depending on the model you choose, your Gator will vary in voltage (10.8V-18V and price ($29.99-$59.99). The Mom Buzz received the Gator 10.8V Hand Vacuum. First off, they suggest charging it for 24 hours. But, I did learn that it comes charged as I poked at my husband with it precharging. (I vacuumed his head – he thought it felt good, if you are wondering.) After I did that, I tried out the flip compartment. With a squeeze on either side of the vacuum it opens and lets you dump out debris. Finally, I pulled out it’s crevice tool. It came out easily and slid into place.

Now the real test. After I let it charge for 24 hours, I gave the boys their Cocoa Pebbles. Sigh. Without a doubt I had a HUGE mess on my hands as one boy spilled on the couch and the other on the floor. Honestly, this time the mess WAS big enough for me to go through the effort of dragging in a traditional vacuum. But, what’s the fun in that? I took out the Dirt Devil Hand Vac and that thing had power. I can only imagine what the 18V one is like! This thing sucked EVERYTHING up off the couch. I even pulled out the crevice tool to get between the cracks – it worked as expected.

Then I used the Hand Vac to clean up the other mess on the floor. It did it pretty quick. No surprises there! If it could clean up the couch, with hidden cracks and crevices, you would expect it can handle a Pergo floor! It even tried sucking up toys! And when I was done with the Gator, it easily flipped open and I could dump the contents into the trash.

My favorite feature of the Gator is the power. It is just amazing at how well it picks up everything. The Hand Vac is light weight and comfortable in my hand. I love that it has a 3 year limited warranty and a filter that you can easily change. The crevice tool is easy to use. I think I would like a wider mouth on the Dirt Devil – just a tad. But the way the mouth of the gator is now keeps it from sucking up the kid’s toys. As it was, it ate one of my boy’s shoe lace ties.

Trying to decide which Gator to buy? Here are your options:

Dirt Devil® Gator 10.8VTM

• Cordless Hand Vacuum
• Gator SeriesTM Dirt Cup for easy emptying
• Powerful suction for quick clean ups
• Built-in crevice tool for cleaning tight spaces

Dirt Devil® Gator 15.6VTM

• Cordless Hand Vacuum
• ENERGY STAR approval rating
• Gator SeriesTM Dirt Cup for easy emptying
• Reusable filter – simply rinse to clean
• Powerful suction for quick clean ups
• Built-in crevice tool for cleaning tight spaces

Dirt Devil® Gator 15.6VTM or 18VTM WITH BRUSHROLL

• Cordless Hand Vacuum
• ENERGY STAR approval rating
• Motorized brushroll for cleaning stairs, cars, and especially pet hair
• Gator SeriesTM Dirt Cup for easy emptying
• Reusable filter – simply rinse to clean
• Powerful suction for quick clean ups
• Built-in crevice tool for cleaning tight spaces

Want to buy a gator? Well, it’s available now at my two favorite stores – Target and Best Buy! Plus, you can also find it at DirtDevil.com.

This is solely the opinion of the Mom Buzz. Other people may have different experiences with the product. The Mom Buzz was provided a Hand Vac for this review. And don’t forget to enter my other hot contests so you can win and try buzzworthy products!

For the past few years I’ve definitely heard a buzz about mineral make-up. What do we know about it? Better for the skin? More uniform? Powder? More natural? Well, at least that was what I thought when I heard that Avon had a smooth mineral make-up line. And guess what … I was right! Well – mostly right – it’s not all powders. But their Smooth Minerals Collection is specially formulated for all skin types – from normal to sensitive and everything in between. They say that their mineral based ingredients let your skin’s natural beauty shine through, since it gives you a smooth skin texture, even color and gorgeous glow.

The first time I tried a few items from their Smooth Minerals collection, I had paired it with Avon’s tribal teal collection (eyeliner and eye shadow quad). When I finished up and was ready to attend a wedding as a photographer – sans husband – my hubby couldn’t stop complimenting me. Honestly, I was a little insulted! Ha! I told him not to get used to it, but I guess there is no harm in a little beauty routine before our Sushi dates! I admit I got in the habit of throwing on jeans, a tee and a quick touch of lipstick.

The great thing is, even if your make-up routine is that simple – just lipstick and run – you can still take advantage of their creamy, lightweight mineral lipstick. It goes on smooth as the anti-oxidant and vitamin-enriched lipstick keeps lips soft and moisturized. Better yet, the lipstick is free of talc, dyes, fragrance and preservatives. There are FOURTEEN colors to choose from right now, with delicious names like Chocolate Kiss and Rumberry. Pink Quartz and Crystal Coral look especially “in” right now. (Bright colors are the latest craze, say my magazines.)

I was given three lipsticks as a gift though – and I loved the colors. Malted Mineral is almost a nude lipstick. It keeps my lips fresh, yet muted, allowing dramatic eyes to shine through when I am out. Pinkberry is youthful, great for just carrying in my purse and putting on to “freshen” my appearance – whether at a play date, pediatrician visit or just picking up a Starbucks. Finally, I received Plum Craze. That is my “mature” lipstick. If I don’t go all out on the eyes, yet I still want to make a statement, the Plum Craze lets my lips get noticed. (and if you are wondering, I am wearing Pinkberry right now. LOVE IT!)

Even though I am loving the tribal teal fall colors for my eyes, there are eye shadows and liners that you might like from the Smooth Minerals line. I am usually super hesitant of pencil liners. They tend not to sharpen well and catch on my lip. Ouch! But after having success with the eyeliner with smudge brush from the fall 2009 Avon color line, I figured that the eyeliner from Smooth Minerals has to be just as good … maybe better. They said the minerals allow it to glide on … and it does. Silky smooth lines that last throughout the day into the night. It comes in 4 colors – Earth, Indigo, Iris and Onyx. The Onyx that I tried is SO BLACK. BLACK BLACK BLACK BLACK BLACK. Can we say dramatic? Whoa… it puts all other black liners to SHAME. The Indigo looks really hot, though, if you want a splash of color.

Okay – let’s talk powders. Their blush, foundation and eye shadows are all powders. They are loose, blendable and have a natural finish. I never really used a powder foundation before, but the medium beige I tried was pretty good. It seemed a little dark for my skin. I am a light olive color – usually not tanned. Pure Beige probably would have been a better fit. But the coverage was even and it removed all shine. And it was a good base to apply the blush on. And just so you know, there are 12 foundation colors to choose from. And the medium beige I tried was great and stayed put when I was photographing that HOT HOT HOT sweaty wedding.

There are eight shades of blush in the Smooth Minerals line. I love the sifter, which is deep and not too many holes. This keeps you from applying too much – and you don’t waste it either! I tried copper glow, which was a nice start. I really think their rose and blushing mauve look fresh and youthful. I haven’t tried them myself, but based on the photos I’ve seen they look like they would be a hit on almost any skin tone.

Finally – let’s get back to the eyes. They are one of my favorite things to “make-up”. So many ways to play and color your lids to create different looks. There are 10 eyeshadow colors to choose from, whether you are looking for subdued (rose quartz) to eye-popping-and-locking (enchanted lilac or pink sapphire). I was thrilled when I was peeking at the colors in my package and saw Enchanted Lilac (pop pop pop) … and also a deep russet rock. I thought the Russet Rock went perfect with the dark Onyx eyeliner. It was very mature and would be great for working mamas. The Enchanted Lilac was youthful, shedding like 10 years off me (I wish). But honestly, it made me feel energetic and I can’t wait to go out for some Sushi with my husband wearing this shade. It just says FUN FUN FUN!

Overall, I am REALLY enjoying the Avon line. I am so happy that I received the make-up as a gift to try. And in the end, I just had to share with everyone else. Why? Well – not only are the colors GORGEOUS and the make-up FLAWLESS. But it is AFFORDABLE. The lipstick? $8. Eyeliner? $6. Foundation? $11. Blush – okay … I admit it seems pricey for blush. I am so dang economical – but I do love the colors and you saved so much on the other items … the blush is $10. Honestly, not bad. Just not cheap. And when you talk about skin – you don’t want to cheap – do you? And the loose powder eye shadow is $9.

And better yet, ever since I started buzzing Avon – lots of readers have approached me telling me they sell it. If you sell it … let me know and tell me your #1 pick from your line-up! I would love to share with my readers! Or do you already have a rep you buy from? Let me know what your favorite pick from them is?

So when the Parent Reviewers offered me the opportunity to review the Exergen on my site, I jumped at it! Because it gives me the opportunity to talk to you about how the thermometer has worked for me over the past 2 years.

I don’t know how your pediatrician takes temperatures at their office, but mine uses a temporal scanner. I loved how easy and quick it was. And if they use it, it’s gotta be good! (I love and trust my pediatrician.)

Now, yes, there are other options out there for taking temperatures. And I can tell you why I don’t like many of them. Pacifier Thermometers are not accurate when they just drank something cool or are breathing through their mouth. And when they are congested, they usually don’t want a paci. Plus, how long would I be able to use a paci thermometer.

Don’t even get me started on anal readings. I won’t do it. And underarm readings are just hard to do with a wiggly kid.

The Exergen is a simple swipe on the forehead. Done in seconds. I find it super easy to use. When you swipe the Exergen across their foreheads, it scans the temperature approximately 1000 times per second! It’s capturing the heat emitted from the arterial blood supply and the temperature of the forehead and accurately determines your child’s temperature.

The Exergen is my best friend when my oldest spikes fevers to 104 and I just want to give a reading to the pediatrician ASAP. Plus, I can also get his temperature when he is sleeping – he never knows that I am checking up on him again. And those times when your kids feel “warm”, but you aren’t sure if they are feverish – well it’s a lot easier to just grab the Exergen and double check than any other thermometer in the house.

And I have to tell you, my pediatrician approves of my use of theTemporal Scanner.

WHAT’S NORMAL:
Exergen gives a range of temperatures that would be considered normal for the different common areas to take a temperature.

The normal range for arterial is 97.4 – 100.1 degrees Fahrenheit. Orally, the normal range is 96.6 to 99.5. Rectal is 97. – 100.3. It also provides temperature ranges for oronasal, axillary and esophageal.

WHY I LIKE THIS TEMPORAL THERMOMETER:
1. When your child has a fever, the temporal artery is the first to indicate it through heat.

2. It is less invasive then rectal.

3. Your child doesn’t need to be as cooperative, as they do with the oral. My son simply wouldn’t put the pacifier thermometer in his mouth. He didn’t object to the quick scan.

4. Accurate and quick!

5. Trusted by my pediatrician.

6. It comes with a 1 year manufacturer warranty.

OVERALL:
I paid around $50 for my first Exergen thermometer and it was worth it. I can use it with everyone in the family – from the littlest one to Big Daddy. Plus, I am thrilled to have an accurate way to tell my toddler and baby’s temperature without being invasive.

I have a few “go-to” gift ideas for baby showers. One is the Heartbeat Bear – the other is this Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometer. If you are registering for a shower or have a gift card to use, definitely consider this thermometer! It will save you time and give you accuracy when you need it the most.

The Mom Buzz received a Temporal Artery Thermometer for “review”. But, the Mom Buzz has owned her own Exergen Thermometer for two years and loves it. Therefor, this is my own opinion and not influenced by the receipt of a product.

Here is the trailer for the Webisodes:

MyBestBirth is not just for celebrities, though. Everyone is invited to join and to share experiences and options about pregnancy, natural birth and holistic parenting.

Sometimes I wonder how toy and gameboard companies keep coming up with new ideas for games. Well, there is a fun, captivating, easy-yet-challenging game out there that is approved by the Mom Buzz! It’s called Cir*Kis – so easy, anyone can play – but who will win???

Cir*Kis is for 2 to 4 players, is recommended for ages 8 and up and can take banywhere between 15 and 45 minutes to play. It’s a game of Circles, Stars and Puzzles. You have a plastic board that has slots all around for you to place different colored pieces. (Each player chooses a color, between yellow, red, green and purple.) You get points as you use your pieces and your opponents pieces to create either a circle or a square. The tricky part is that each piece must be placed next to the last piece played. Yet, you don’t want to make it easy for your opponent to create a circle or square and get points!

It’s easy to keep track of pieces and scores during this crazy game, since it has these little scoring tracks that you put your peg in. No scrounging for paper and pencils to keep score! And there are little compartments on each players side to put your pieces in.

My husband and I thought it was fun for a game night. We are planning on inviting some family over to play with four people rather than just two. I think this would make a great game for your weekly game night – kids or adults-only. And my husband’s family plays games after dinner on Christmas and Thanksgiving – this game would fit right in.

There is no real downside to the game, other than I wish you could play with even more people. Otherwise it’s creative, makes you think and gets everyone in a friendly-competitive spirit.

You can get a better idea of how Cir*Kis looks and is played with this video:

One Buzz reader can win Cir*Kis  to play at their home for Family Game Night… or save it for a Holiday Gift!

MANDATORY, FIRST ENTRY: Visit Winning Moves online and tell me what other game looks fun for family game night or the holidays!
EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry. But for extra entries, you can do the following – leave a comment for each:

• Add the Mom Buzz to your Twitter and Tweet the contest. Leave your Tweet Link. (1 tweet per day is allowed)
• Blog about the contest – add a link to the Mom Buzz and the Sponsor
• Add the Mom Buzz button to your site
• Add the Mom Buzz to your blogroll.
• Enter the GE appliance give-away – you can do this daily!
• Play a Game of Cir*Kis online! Who won?

Contest ends 11/15/09. Please refer to complete contest rules. The entries listed above are the ONLY entries for this contest. Winners will be notified by e-mail (if supplied in the entry or on profile page), as well as on the Winner’s Wall. 

This is solely the opinion of the Mom Buzz. Other people may have different experiences with the product. And don’t forget to enter my other hot contests so you can win and try buzzworthy products!

Also, whether you enter a contest here on the Mom Buzz blogspot or theMomBuzz.com – all entries will be counted. No worries, peeps!