Winner Announcement!

Today, our MewWoof scarf giveaway ended, and the winner is........

Number 17..... Congratulations go to:

chainsawhoney said...

I tweeted this http://twitter.com/#!/chainsawhoney/status/92526502138216448 chainsawhoney@gmail.com

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway! Please check out our other giveaways, you have great chances of winning!

-Mew

Some Updates

I feel bad that I wasn't able to keep up with the Daily Deals posts again, but I realized tonight it's just too much for me alone. I have been very busy the past few days and haven't been able to find the time to go through all those deals and update the posts. I don't want to give up on it entirely (I just love the idea of college-oriented deal posts!) so I'm going to make it once a week, when new circulars are around. That would make today the first day, I think. I'm going to update the name to be 'Weekly Deals!' and if I find something before the next week's post that will expire, I'll just make a new post about it.

There's also two things going on regarding reviews and giveaways on the blog. We have a sodastream review that will be written and posted tomorrow, and soon we'll have an awesome BatterBlaster review and giveaway! Please keep an eye out for those posts. We're also open to any pitches for products for review or review and giveaway on the blog! Every review comes with a spot under 'sponsors' for a month, starting the day the review is posted to the blog. If you'd like additional blog information, just send us an email, we're always checking it!

While this technically isn't an update about the blog, something funny happened tonight at work, and I really want to share:

I work at Mcdonald's, as some of you may know, and our store is open 24 hours, so we get all kinds overnight. Well, this group of people had ordered and eaten, and when they were done they decided to have some fun. They drove around to about 20 feet in front of the drive-thru window and one of them got out. The driver honked the horn to get my attention while I served food to someone in their car, and when I glanced up, the guy outside the car was mooning me. I only saw it for a second because honestly we were too busy for me to have the time to stare at someone's butt. The funny part is that the driver panicked when they realized I saw who they were, and started to drive away without the moon-er. He was running after the car, frantically trying to pull up his pants and yelling 'wait! Wait!' The car did stop a little ways away, but it was still kinda funny that they thought such a dumb 'prank' would bug me, and that the driver was so worried that they started to drive away. What was I gonna do?

That's all the updates I have for now. Thank you for reading!

-Mew

So Very Sorry

Hello ever-faithful viewers, friends, and fans!


I regretfully tell you today that MewWoof will no longer be shipping large items outside the USA. "Large Items" will hereby be declared as "Anything that does not fit in an envelope" - such as articles of clothing or decorations or household items, should these appear in our shop in the future.


Reason being? It'd be far too unfair for ya'all to have to pay upwards to $20.00 USD for shipping. However, our decision may be subject to change in the future.


-Woof

What to Expect: College Edition (Dorms)

Most universities have dorms, and if you're living away from home to go to school, chances are you're living in one. It's not weird to be worried about moving away from home and living in the dorms, but it definitely helps to hear, from a college student living on campus, that dorm living isn't that bad. I can't speak for guys as much, because I don't know the guy-roommate dynamic, but some of this will still apply.

Your Roommate: Some schools have online questionnaires for anyone living on campus who doesn't have someone in mind to live with. There are also schools that just pair you up with another random person.  My first roommate freshman year was a a complete failure, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who had issues with their first roommate, because Woof and her roommate separated second semester too. I think among girls it's a little harder to imagine an immediate hatred for one another, like most college students are fearing. From what I've heard, and my limited experience, girls are a lot more easygoing than people give them credit for. As I said before, my first roommate was a failure. She and I didn't understand each other at all, she was into fashion and partying and I was into pokemon and MMORPGs. We never fought though, despite being so different, but when the room change period came up she decided to move across the hall with a friend of hers (which was GREAT, because I essentially had a single in a HUGE room). I think in most cases, this is the sort of situation you'll run into, where if you don't 'get' each other, you just don't have any real contact. She and I used to just say hi and bye to one another every day, and that's about it. I didn't hear much about serious roommate conflict, so I think it's pretty rare. Some schools, like mine, allow you to change roommates and rooms once a semester. Other schools, like Notre Dame, allow a roommate change once every academic year. Don't worry about what your school's policy is before you need to, but keep in mind that if you freak out at your roommate for little things, trying to get her to move out at the start of the semester to get a big single, you might be stuck with her for the whole academic school year.

Your Room: This is something I was incredibly worried about when I went to college, and it's something I can't really comfort incoming students about, because there's a huge variety of room sizes on my campus, as well as room types, and I imagine it's like that everywhere. I can only tell you what's on my campus, and there will most likely be something similar to what's on yours. Some of this will definitely help you out.

• Typical Double Dorm Room: This is pretty normal for freshmen, it's a room with 2 beds, 2 dressers, 2 closets or bureaus, and two desks with uncomfortable chairs. It can be really nice and big or it can be really tiny and unmanageable, it totally depends on the luck of the draw. I think big rooms are rare, but Woof and I have gotten them twice in a row now, so it's not impossible to be placed in them. They're typically next to the bathroom or at the end of the hall. I think there's a middle of the lane size, but I haven't actually seen it so I'm not entirely sure.
• Singles: If you're really worried about living on campus, and you have a lot of money to spend, then you could go with a single until you find someone you'd like to room with. A single is usually a little smaller than the smallest double, and includes a bed, a dresser, a closet or bureau, and a desk with an uncomfortable chair. It's not that much fum to live in singles, and I don't know many people who do it, but it would be an ok option for first semester freshmen if they're feeling a lot of anxiety about their roommates and they really do have the money to spend. I do not suggest living in a single your whole time at school, it doesn't really lend itself to socialization.
• Apartments: On my campus, there are two different kinds of apartments. There are the ones with the single rooms (ultra expensive) and the ones with the double rooms (less expensive). Both come with a kitchen, bathroom, and living room set up with appliances and a couch and chairs, maybe even a coffee table. They can be anywhere from 2 person to 6 person, and you'll want to check and double check whether or not the rooms are double, if you have a preference, because Woof and I learned the hard way that they aren't always up front about it. Also, sometimes freshmen can't move into the apartments, so you'll wanna check with your school.
• Townhouses: This is the one I know the least about. I believe that they can be single or double rooms, but they're most likely a lot like apartments. Freshmen are not allowed to live in a townhouse.

I plan on covering what you'll need for your dorm in detail later, but for now that's the information I have for living on campus. Definitely contact your school to see if they carry these options and if you can get there, they might show you a 'show room' in the building you're going to live in. It may be not as big or bigger than your actual room, so you should keep that in mind if you go.

-Mew

Daily Deals! (7-31)

Groupon and the like



Cheap stuff

(Expires 8-5) Hamburger Helper Skillet Meals - $2.00 off (Print Coupon)
(Expires 8-16) Boston Market - Buy one meal get a 32 oz. drink free (Here)
(Expires 9-8) Carl Jr. - $1 off Hand-breaded chicken fillet sandwich (Here)
(Expires 8-1) Checkers/Rally's - Free Big Chicken Sandwich with the purchase of a large drink (Here)
(Expires 8-14) Bath and Body Works - Free Signature Collection Body Care Item (up to $12.50 value) with a purchase of  $10 or more (Here)
(Expires 7-31) Kohl's - 15% off Shopping Pass (Here)
(Expires 8-12) Waffle House - Buy one get one sausage biscuit (Here)
(Expires 8-13) Denny's - 20% off a to go order (Here)


Free Stuff

Chili's - Free Chips and Queso
Join IHOP Pancake Revolution and get a free meal (Freeflys)
Free Ice Cream from Baskin Robin's on your birthday (Freeflys)
Free Sample of Tampax Pearl
Free Sample of Splenda Essentials
Free Sample of Dove Daily Treatment Conditioner
Free Sample of 4 Mary Kay Scents
Free Sample of Loreal Eversleek Products
Free Sample of John Freida Frizz-Ease Shampoo and Conditioner



Mentionables

Starbucks Treat Receipt - It's back until September 5th! Make any purchase before 2PM and you can get any Grande cold beverage for just $2.00 and tax after 2PM the same day!

Free Popcorn at Regal Cinemas, Edward's, or United Artists Cinemas for smartphone users! Go to Yahoo Movies on Facebook and sign up, and you can continue to get free popcorn by texting 35350 until one million free popcorns have been handed out. Act fast!

(Expires 12-31) Regal Cinemas - Free small soft drink with the purchase of a small popcorn 

(Expires 8-31) White Castle - Free Original Slider for the first 90 people who have this coupon when they come in. If you are one of the first, the pin they give you will allow you to get one slider for every visit until August 31st

BlenderBottle Review and Giveaway (Ends 8-20) US only

We all know how it goes when you're baking. You put the ingredients together and then you whisk, whisk, whisk until it's smooth enough to bake and your arm feels like it's going to fall off. When I received a BlenderBottle, insulated sling, and recipe book in the mail, I was more than excited to try it out!

This is the recipe book I received, as pictured on their website

The first thing I did was look at the recipe book, because I had heard from other bloggers about how awesome their recipes are and I was genuinely curious about the 'shakes' I kept hearing so much about. As I was flipping through the drinks section, I saw the recipe for an 'Apple Pie Shake,' using unsweetened applesauce and knew that was what I was going to make. In my mom's house, we have can after can after can of unsweetened applesauce in our pantry, and we have long since run out of things to do with it. We're not sure how so many accumulated, but we know that the extra cans need to be dealt with, so I knew this would be a perfect way to use them! I followed the recipe word for word, and the shake really did taste like apple pie! I was so excited that I immediately told my mom about it, whom I was on the phone with while I was making it. This is definitely a recipe I will use again! There are also recipes for things like Pancakes and waffles, salsa, sticky buns, french toast, all sorts of main dishes, salads, salad dressings, marinades, and all sorts of desserts (including an interesting Powdered Sugar Drizzle that I'll have to try out soon). I am convinced that there is at least one tasty recipe in that (if not 10) that you can make today with ingredients you already have laying around in your house! Of course, I found one for my house, but I'm going back into the recipe book tonight to look for another!

This is the insulted sling I received as pictured on their website. Check out the snap that comes apart! That meant you can take off the top really easily without having to take off the sling!

I also received an insulated sling that fits the Blenderbottle perfectly, hugging it just tight enough to keep it in, but not so tight that it's hard to get on. In fact, this was the second thing I played with when I opened the package. The sling is available in lots of different designs, and I picked the Stripes 2 design. The colors were beautiful and the stitching was really really strong. Also, there's a handle over the top of the bottle, so you don't need to hold onto the bottle while you're walking, you can just hold onto the handle. I bet that handle would also allow you to hang it from the handlebars of your bike, too! I checked the stitching on the sling (one of the first things to break on most similar products) and it was extremely well stitched! I do not think this is going to break on me anytime soon! On top of that, the bottom of the sling is rubber, but it's a particularly clingy rubber (I wish I had another way to describe it that's more flattering) and it's flat! That means that I can set my Blenderbottle down in the sling and not worry about it falling over! Now let's talk about why you might need the insulated sling in the first place, besides being able to hook it onto your bike for easy travel. As I mentioned before, I made an apple pie shake with my Blenderbottle. Imagine being able to make that shake, then take it to work with you and drink it all day. Or, for college students, imagine making it right before class, then being able to drink it while you take notes. I didn't think I would care for the sling, but when I really thought about it, I just love the idea and the product and I'm so glad it was included!

The 28 oz. Blenderbottle I received, as pictured on their website.

Now on to the main event: the Blenderbottle itself. This bottle is BPA free, which is great because that means you can store stuff in it and it won't have chemicals leaking into your food! It's also a very sturdy plastic. I didn't drop it, but I'm sure if I did it wouldn't break (always a plus, right?). The top screws off, but there's a little tab that you can pull off the top to reveal a small hole you drink or pour from, which is great if you want to drink out of the bottle or you want a low-mess way to pour pancakes into a pan. My main concern about this bottle was the 'whisk' part of it being, for lack of a better word, squishable. I was worried that it might flatten itself after a while of use, because it didn't look that sturdy on the website. Well, I no longer fear that at all! I spent a good 30 minutes playing with it (not for review purposes, I'm just easily amused) and it was extremely resilient and hasn't lost its' shape at all. 30 minutes of me playing with it is probably more stressful to the spring than 30 minutes of shaking it in the Blenderbottle, so I am very confident this product will last me a long time!

This little ball is amazing!

Since I am a college student, I do think about products from that point of view, so let's go over why this would be a great present for any college student, even if they don't have a kitchen:

• The recipe book lays out everything you need to know about every recipe, as if it were the first time you're making anything having to do with that recipe. This simplicity is really great for students who are just starting to cook on their own.
• The recipe book also has lots of recipes that don't involve cooking, like the shakes and various dips and salads. These things are surprisingly common in dorms without kitchens.
• The insulated sling allows for easy transportation, so students can take their creations, whatever they may be, to another dorm or to class comfortably. Even if they're traveling on a bike!
• There are two sizes of Blenderbottle, and most college students would get a lot of use out of the smaller size, because most college students are only cooking or making drinks for themselves.
• Both sizes would easily fit in the door of a mini-fridge. This is important to a college student. Trust me.
• The Blenderbottle is really easy to clean. Unless you're working with something that can make you sick (raw eggs and the like) you don't even need to really wash it. After I made my shake, I just poured it into a glass and rinsed out my Blenderbottle. No fuss!

By now you're probably wondering about the word 'giveaway' at the title of this post. Well, the generous folks at Blenderbottle have offered to give away a set of: one 28 oz. Blenderbottle (your choice of color), one insulated sling (your choice of color), and one of their recipe books!

Please post your entries as comments on this blog post, if it says 2 entries, leave two comments. All entries will be verified, so please be honest! One participant per household. If I see anyone cheating, all your entries will be deleted, so please don't! Also, leave me your email in at least one of your comments if your profile isn't set to public. If I can't reach you, you can't win.

Mandatory Entry 

Go to the Blenderbottle website and tell me what color Blenderbottle and what color sling you would want!  (One Entry)

 Optional Entries

You must do the mandatory entry for any of these to count!

Like Blenderbottle on Facebook (Two Entries) Leave your Facebook name in your comment

Leave a post on their Facebook wall telling them we sent you with a link to this post! (One Entry) Leave a link to your post in your comment

Follow Blenderbottle on Twitter (Two Entries) Leave your Twitter in your comment

Subscribe to Blenderbottle's Youtube channel (Two Entries) Leave your Youtube account name in your comment

Like MewWoof on Facebook (One Entry) Leave us your Facebook name in your comment

Follow MewWoof on Twitter (One Entry) Leave us your Twitter in your comment

Subscribe to Our Emails (Four Entries) Must be confirmed, leave your email in your comment

Tell us where you found this giveaway (One Entry)

Enter another one of our giveaways (One Entry per giveaway entered)

Tell us what you're most interested in making with the Blenderbottle! (One Entry)

Tell me one of the famous celebrities that got caught using a Blenderbottle on camera! (Two Entries) I will be editing out the name so other people don't cheat. Hint: check their Facebook 

Daily Optional Entries

You may use these entries once a day only and are only good for one entry each per day

Tweet this giveaway using the following tweet or creating your own including @mewwoof @Blenderbottle and #giveaway along with a direct link to the giveaway:

@MewWoof is hosting a #giveaway for a @Blenderbottle Prize Pack! Ends 8-20, enter today http://educatedanddangerous.blogspot.com/2011/07/blenderbottle-review-and-giveaway-ends.html

Post about this giveaway on your Facebook with a link to this post and link us to it in your comment

Fine Print Stuff

This giveaway ends August 20th at 11:59 pm EST. This giveaway is open to the US only. Winner has 48 hours to answer an email sent to them, after which another winner will be picked. Facebook didn't sponsor this giveaway and has no part in it besides being where ours and Blenderbottle's pages are and where you may promote this giveaway if you like. We are not responsible for fulfilling the prize, the sponsor is sending it directly to the winner. I was not paid to write this post or to say positive things about the products in the post.                                                         

Daily Deals! (7-30)

Groupon and the like



Cheap stuff

(Expires 8-5) Hamburger Helper Skillet Meals - $2.00 off (Print Coupon)
(Expires 8-6) Two Pocket Folder - 5 cents (Office Max)
(Expires 8-6) Elmer's School Glue - 10 cents (Office Max)
(Expires 8-6) Papermate Vibz Mechanical Pencils - $1 for 5ct. (Office Depot)
(Expires 8-6) Texas Instruments TI-84 Plus Silver Edition Graphing Calculator - $109.99 (Office Depot)
(Expires 8-6) Milk Crates - $3 (Office Depot)
(Expires 8-6) Westcott Preferred 7" Scissors - 50 cents (Staples)
(Expires 8-6) Avery 5-tab insertable dividers - 50 cents (Staples)
(Expires 8-16) Boston Market - Buy one meal get a 32 oz. drink free (Here)
(Expires 9-8) Carl Jr. - $1 off Hand-breaded chicken fillet sandwich (Here)
(Expires 8-1) Checkers/Rally's - Free Big Chicken Sandwich with the purchase of a large drink (Here)
(Expires 8-14) Bath and Body Works - Free Signature Collection Body Care Item (up to $12.50 value) with a purchase of  $10 or more (Here)
(Expires 7-31) Kohl's - 15% off Shopping Pass (Here)
(Expires 8-12) Waffle House - Buy one get one sausage biscuit (Here)
(Expires 8-13) Denny's - 20% off a to go order (Here)


Free Stuff

Chili's - Free Chips and Queso
Join IHOP Pancake Revolution and get a free meal (Freeflys)
Free Ice Cream from Baskin Robin's on your birthday (Freeflys)
Free Sample of Tampax Pearl
Free Sample of Splenda Essentials
Free Sample of Dove Daily Treatment Conditioner
Free Sample of 4 Mary Kay Scents
Free Sample of Loreal Eversleek Products
Free Sample of John Freida Frizz-Ease Shampoo and Conditioner



Mentionables

Starbucks Treat Receipt - It's back until September 5th! Make any purchase before 2PM and you can get any Grande cold beverage for just $2.00 and tax after 2PM the same day!

Free Popcorn at Regal Cinemas, Edward's, or United Artists Cinemas for smartphone users! Go to Yahoo Movies on Facebook and sign up, and you can continue to get free popcorn by texting 35350 until one million free popcorns have been handed out. Act fast!

(Expires 12-31) Regal Cinemas - Free small soft drink with the purchase of a small popcorn 

(Expires 8-31) White Castle - Free Original Slider for the first 90 people who have this coupon when they come in. If you are one of the first, the pin they give you will allow you to get one slider for every visit until August 31st