The Help opens August 10th - and we have a giveaway!

So many good movies are coming out this summer! I'm really excited about this next one, and with all the huge big budget special effect blockbusters hitting the theaters, I want to make sure you don't miss it.

The Help was an unforgettable book which I recommend myself right here on the blog sidebar, not because I was asked to by anyone but because I read it and was blown away.

And soon the movie version of the #1 New York Times best-selling phenomenon is going to hit the big screen. The Help movie, from Dreamworks so I have high hopes it will do the book justice, comes out Wednesday, August 10th.

The Help stars Emma Stone (“Easy A”) as Skeeter, Academy Award®–nominated Viola Davis (“Doubt”) as Aibileen and Octavia Spencer as Minny. These three very different, extraordinary women, one a well-respected society women and the other two the 'colored' women employed by her privileged friends as 'The Help', come together in Mississippi during the 1960s over a secret writing project that breaks societal rules and puts them all at risk.

From their improbable alliance a remarkable sisterhood emerges, instilling all of them with the courage to transcend the lines that define them, and the realization that sometimes those lines are made to be crossed—even if it means bringing everyone in town face-to-face with the changing times.

In anticipation of The Help's opening day, one lucky reader will receive a prize pack with:

THE HELP t-shirt (available in adult female sizes of S, M, L, XL)

THE HELP pocket jotter & pen

THE HELP fan

THE HELP nail file/mirror

To enter this giveaway:
Just leave a comment on this post letting me know which summer movies you plan to see! Required for initial entry.

Additional entry methods:

• Follow The Help on Twitter, tweet this contest with #TheHelpMovie and link to your Tweet.
• “Like” THE HELP on Facebook and let me know in the comments.
• Add my NEW button to your blog or Facebook page!
• Add me to one of your Google+ circles!

Contest ends August 12th, the Friday after opening day for The Help movie.  USA/Canadian addresses only, please. 

Good Luck!

The prize package above is being provided by a Disney/Dreamworks publicity representative for the purposes of promoting The Help movie. Prizes will be shipped from the provider directly to the winner.

Hairmax Giveaway!

Hairmax is offering CoolMomsRule! readers the chance to win all the items pictured below (a prize package valued at $39!).

About the HairMax product line: HairMax at home hair care product line knows a thing or two about providing hair with more luster, shine and manageability than many of the products available on the market.  The sulfate free hair care products gently cleanse and condition the hair without stripping essential oils. Natural botanicals add shine and manageability to make your hair look fuller, thicker and healthier. HairMax utilizes phytic acid, a natural anti-oxidant to lower the pH and dissolve the build-up of oxidative stress layers on the scalp.

HAIRMAX ENHANCING SHAMPOO (Retail Price: $12.00)

Using their vast experience of over 20 years of research and clinical investigation, HairMax has developed a new approach to hair care. The process starts with a sulfate free base to gently cleanse the hair without stripping essential oils. Other shampoos contain sodium laurel sulfate (SLS), a harsh detergent that strips the natural oils from the hair follicle.  SLS causes the oil glands to over-react creating too much oil. This excess oil converts to a waxy substance that builds up on the hair shaft and may restrict proper hair growth. HairMax Enhancing Shampoo is sulfate free and does not contain harsh chemicals like SLS. It gently cleanses the hair while combining with the hair’s own natural oils to lubricate and moisturize the hair shaft.

HairMax uses phytic acid in its shampoo system to lower the pH and promote a regenerative action on the base of the scalp, reducing oxidative stress layers. The shampoo system can be used by itself or in conjunction with the HairMax LaserComb. The HairMax shampoo system has a lower pH than most shampoo systems on the market. The company’s research indicates that the oils (sebum) produced in the hair follicle can turn into a waxy substance in higher alkaline environments. This lower pH, phytic acid based shampoo system helps to prevent the sebum build up and promotes the lubrication of the hair follicle to encourage healthier looking hair.

REVITALIZING CONDITIONER (Retail Price:  $12.00)  Most conditioners are thick and heavy, weighing down the hair making it look flat and difficult to style. HairMax Revitalizing Conditioner utilizes innovative botanicals that deeply moisturize the hair shaft then rinse free, leaving the hair soft and manageable without heavy build up. The HairMax Conditioner restores and protects the hair shaft while a combination of botanicals and vitamins rejuvenate your hair's look and feel, leaving your hair smooth and shiny.

INVIGORATING SCALP TREATMENT (Retail Price: $7.50) Healthy hair comes from a healthy scalp. Perspiration, oils, environmental pollution and styling products can build up on the scalp clogging the hair follicle, leaving particle deposits that can clog hair follicles and leave hair looking flat and greasy. Invigorating Scalp Treatment is designed to dissolve these particles, washing them away, making your hair look healthy, clean and full of body. The Invigorating Scalp Treatment contains phytic acid to help reduce the pH of the scalp. When used in conjunction with the Hairmax LaserComb, this facilitates laser absorption from the HairMax into the scalp.

HAIR FORTIFIER (Retail Price: $7.50) Many of us take vitamins to maintain the health of our body. Well our scalp isn’t any different. HairMax Hair and Scalp Fortifier are vitamins for your hair. This product is infused with a special combination of botanical nutrients, DHT blockers and innovative ingredients, like caffeine, oleanolic acid and biotinoyl tripeptide, that are believed to have positive results for healthier looking hair. HairMax Hair and Scalp Fortifying mist is delivered directly to the root of the hair, maximizing the benefits these innovative ingredients may provide.

To Enter the Hairmax giveaway, just leave a comment below this post (required for initial entry).


Additional Entry methods:


Follow CoolMomsRule on Twitter and tweet this post.
Blog about the Hairmax giveaway and link to your post in a comment.
Subscribe to the CoolMomsRule! RSS feed


Sorry, USA residents only. Contest ends Friday, August 5th. 

Good Luck!

Hairmax, based in Boca Raton, Lexington is a manufacturer and developer of advanced phototherapy devices for home use.  Lexington International markets the only laser device that has published the results of the efficacy of the device in a peer review journal.  HairMax is also the first and only device of its kind with FDA Clearance for marketing.  Over the past 10 years and in over 155 countries worldwide, Lexington Int., LLC has helped hundreds of thousands of individuals to treat their hair condition. For more information, please visit: www.hairmax.com. Hairmax is offering this giveaway to CoolMomsRule! winners, prviding the prize package and shipping it directly to the winner. 

Who Lives in an Alarm Clock on Your Nightstand?

Spongebob Squarepants!

Yes, I know that's not how the song goes, but I had a chance to review a Spongebob Squarepants alarm clock, and...well, wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.

I get lots of pitches for reviews, so I'm picky about them. Sometimes I'll get pitches for baby items, for example, and my kids are older, and I feel like there are plenty of bloggers to review those, while us Moms of older kids get a little lost in the Mommy blogosphere. So I really try to find things to review for teens, or tweens, or their Moms. Or things that are so universal that everyone needs them. So in my mind, I'm going through this rating system while I'm reading my email pitches.

Okay, so I see an email about Spongebob Squarepants. And the thing about Spongebob is, even adults know who he is. The cartoons have a lot of sneaky little adult references and clever wordplay and just bizarre situations to keep you interested, so even worldly teens still think Spongebob is cool. So that's a coolness factor of +1.

Then I see that Sakar International has teamed up with Nickelodeon, a name I know and like for kids, and created an animated SpongeBob Alarm Clock radio, and The Owl needs an alarm clock anyway, so that's another personal +1.

Oh, and the "animated" part?
SpongeBob himself pops up with the snooze alarm feature!
Kids can pick different alarm sounds to wake up with, like a ukulele, marimba, seagull and foghorn!
But here's the best part: the clock projects images on the ceiling of your child's room!

So even the little kids will enjoy this clock, because not only are they learning to tell time, but they aren't just lying there in the dark, maybe feeling a little scared at night. And The Owl's room *still* has glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling from when he was little and not too fond of the dark. But hey, if you like the dark, you can turn down the backlit LED display so that it basically disappears until the alarm goes off if you want. So that all  gets a big old +1, too.

And then I see that this SpongeBob Squarepants alarm clock lets you hook up your own mp3 player, like an iPod or iPhone, and because my kids like, most kids these days, are practically surgically attached to their iPods, that's an even bigger, more important, like maybe I should put it in bold: +1.

And then I see that--wait for this, it's worth it, you are not going to believe it--the bright yellow texture of this SpongeBob Squarepants alarm clock is actually spongy, and that's like a definitely bold, let's even make it HUGE +1. 


Because really, people, isn't that genius?!

So now we get to the actual review, and all I can say is that I was just tickled pink by the actual  SpongeBob Squarepants alarm clock once it arrived. That doesn't happen a lot. Here I am, this jaded, cynical blogger reviewer, and I was honestly delighted. I mean, just look at this little guy:

He's so cute! The description on the box says The SpongeBob Squarepants LED Alarm Clock is  "perfect for a nightstand in any young child's room", but I'd take that 'young child' out of there and substitute "anyone", because when my son's friends came over--and some of these guys are heading off to college this Fall--they loved it, too. They felt the sponginess and said things like, "Cool!" and "Dude, that's awesome."

And I recently discovered that the clock won the National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval for its 'ingenious and exciting' design.

And you can't get a more ringing endorsement than a delighted Mom and impressed teens.  

Viv's take: The SpongeBob Squarepants LED Alarm Clock from Sakar International and Nickelodeon offers a bright, friendly, animated interface, projecting images on the ceiling of your child's bedroom and also a pop-up Spongebob snooze function. The iPod connectivity allows them to listen to their own music, and the spongy texture of the clock is an absolutely ingenious design that wins approval from parents and teens alike. I happily give it my personal highest recommendation! A+.

I received a complementary SpongeBob Squarepants LED Alarm Clock for the purposes of this review.

Winnie the Pooh opens today (Psst...here's a sneak peak!)

Take a look at this adorable scene from Disney's latest Winnie the Pooh movie, opening in theaters today!

This clips's called, "Owl's Cold". Want to see more? Head on over and “Like” WINNIE THE POOH on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/WinniethePooh.