Today I’m going to have to work on getting quite a few posts done before I go on my next trip. But Before I worked on that I wanted to share some Spam. I love PR companies and I want to work for all of them. It’s just hard to give each one their own post sometimes, especially when I’m BEHIND. I’m so far behind and I’m about to go on another blogging trip. So, this is just to remind all those PR companies that I love you and to let my readers know what’s going on according to PR.

From Peer2

Launching this summer, peer2 (peer squared) will reward its members by giving them points for every visit to their profile page or blog and for over 50 other online activities.
From now until September 1st, people who sign up for the pre-beta launch at http://www.peer2.com will get 500 points to start out their account with, and one lucky member will win a whopping 1,000,000 points!
What can one million points get? Pretty much any peer squared reward! So sign up now and start dreaming about how you’re going to spend your million points! (peer2 rewards are powered by Amazon.com, so if Amazon has it, you can earn it!)
We’ll select the new peer2 (points) millionaire on September 1st!
So sign up on http://www.peer2.com and become our fan here on facebook to find out if you’ve won!

From Whirlpool

With temperatures heating up, many consumers will look to cool down and stay hydrated with a refreshing glass of water. To drink with confidence while escaping the summer sizzle, Whirlpool reminds consumers that this season serves as a thirst quenching reminder to change the water filter in the refrigerator. For this reason, the world’s largest appliance manufacturer declares July as the first official “Change Your Refrigerator Water Filter” month.
Drinking filtered water from the refrigerator is good for the family, the environment and the wallet. Consumers can drink with confidence knowing that their refrigerator water filter serves as a last line of defense against unseen contaminants such as lead and mercury. It is important to note that these contaminants and other filtered substances are not present in all users’ water, but if they are, a filter can address this. Many consumers, however, are not aware that it is necessary to change the refrigerator water filter every six months to reduce contaminants and help ensure an uninterrupted supply of fresh filtered drinking water.
“Most of us drink water everyday but may not think about the fact that water travels through miles of infrastructure — steel, plastic and copper pipes — before ever reaching homes, potentially picking up impurities along the way,” said Will Mayfield, category manager of refrigerator water filtration, Whirlpool Corporation. “Based on this it’s critical to change the filter regularly to reduce contaminants. At the height of summer months, Change Your Refrigerator Water Filter month is a perfect reminder to make changing the refrigerator water filter a habit.”
By using two water filters per year, a refrigerator system can filter the equivalent of 3,000* bottles of water, saving over $600 a year versus purchasing a leading brand of bottled water. In addition, according to a 2007 Fast Company article, it is estimated that 38 billion water bottles are thrown into the trash every year. Consumers can do their part to help the environment by making the switch to filtered water from the refrigerator. “Using and maintaining a water filtration system with a NSF certified filter, like those in the refrigerator, saves money and offers fresher water and peace-of-mind,” says Mayfield.
To make changing the filter quick and easy, many refrigerators have an easy-access system, located conveniently at the bottom in the grille or just inside the refrigerator, in the back near the refrigerator’s ceiling. For added convenience, Whirlpool Corporation provides an automatic water filter replacement program that sends filters right to consumers’ homes, with no cost for shipping. For more information on replacing your filter for any Whirlpool portfolio product, visit http://www.whirlpool.com/everysixmonths.

From Leap Frog

All New Learning DVD From LeapFrog

Debuts Just In Time For Back To School!

Street Date: 8/18/09

Order Date: 7/22/09

DVD SRP: $14.98

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

This August, school is back in session when Lionsgate partners with top educational toy brand LeapFrog® to release the first new LeapFrog educational DVD in four years, LeapFrog: Let¹s Go To School. Beloved characters Tad and Lilly are back and preparing themselves for their first day of class in this all-new DVD perfectly timed to ease the concerns of both children and parents alike on the milestone of starting school. Sure to provide preschoolers with an engaging and entertaining experience,

LeapFrog: Let¹s Go To School makes learning fun by teaching phonics skills, counting and animals through a new engaging storyline and features five fun new songs. LeapFrog: Let¹s Go To School is available August 18, 2009, for the suggested retail price of $14.98.

With products in over 18.3 million* households nationally, LeapFrog® Enterprises, Inc., is the leading educational toy brand for Moms**. With over 4.8 million LeapFrog DVDs already sold of the existing five catalog titles, LeapFrog DVDs are consistently strong sellers every year. This DVD release from Lionsgate marks the first all-new entertainment production from LeapFrog and Lionsgate Home Entertainment in a deal that was finalized last year.

*Source: LeapFrog Household Penetration Study, 9/2008

**Source: LeapFrog Brand Tracker, 2/2009 among Moms who have purchased an educational toy in the last 12 months.

SYNOPSIS

School starts tomorrow, and Tad and Lily are nervous! Join Tad, Lily and their magical firefly Edison as he gives them a tour of the classroom and shows them that the classroom is more nervous than they are! As the twins reassure the blocks, globe, clock and more talking ³teachers,² they learn key lessons about phonics, counting, days of the week and animals.

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES *

· 5 Sing-along songs

· Interactive alphabet book

· A sneak peek at Math Adventure to the Moon *Subject to change

From Kodak

Did you know that “Smile Week” is August 10^th – 16th?! That’s right! So why not take a stance with Kodak and encourage people to smile, while even dropping some compliments along the way? J

Purdue University students Cameron Brown and Brett Westcott – better known as the “Compliment Guys” – are taking their show on the road beginning this coming Monday to help bring smiles to people’s faces . Their trip is part of a summer tour sponsored by Kodak to spread compliments and smiles to U.S. cities.

Brett and Cameron started a weekly ritual in 2008 outside the Purdue University chemistry building with a “Free Compliments” sign, offering kind and encouraging words to people who walked past. They’re also doing it on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ComplimentGuys.

They’ll be visiting 10 cities from July 20 through July 30—I can send you the whole list if you want. They’ll be posting videos from their trip, as well as blogging about their experiences at http://www.brightsidetour.com/.

Says Cameron, “Making people smile and brightening their day is something we love to do.”  We encourage you to share this story with your readers and hopefully they will smile at this cool tour and realize the importance of giving compliments to their families and friends on a regular basis. You’ll see the enormous positive reaction if you check out the Twitter account and how easily Cameron and Brett were able to cheer someone up, just by offering them a simple #compliment.

From Wal-Mart

Recent research shows that, in the current economy, consumers are being more conservative about their back-to-school purchases with a greater focus on affordability.    At the same time, a recent American Research Group survey found that 22.3 percent of consumers are planning to shop at Walmart for back-to-school items this year, up from 15.4 percent last year.

Walmart is committed to making back-to-school shopping easier for consumer and today announced $9 product offerings for added savings on back-to-school shopping.   The $9 offers include a diverse collection of back-to-school necessities ranging from backpacks to socks and eyeglass frames to folders.

In addition to every day low prices on all back-to-school necessities, the $9 collection includes:

· Elementary school supply basics bundle, all items purchased separately: 24ct Crayola Crayons, Elmer’s 2pk Glue Sticks, Crayola 10ct Markers, Crayola 12ct Colored Pencils, a pair of 5” scissors, Sterlite School Box, Dixon 24ct Pencils, 2pk Pink Erasers, one two-pocket folder, one wooden ruler, one 70ct notebook, Expo 2pk Dry Erase Markers

· Six Mead Five Star 1-Subject Notebooks

· Starter and BYO Lunch Kits

· San Disk 2G Flash Drive

· **Select youth eyeglass frames

· Texas Instruments TI 30Xa Scientific Calculator

· A selected variety of boys and girls basics, like socks and underwear (two packs for $9)

· Select boys and girls backpacks

· Boys and girls Starter and Danskin Now brand retro sneakers

· OP girls tops and young men’s tees, $9 or less

Also From Wal-Mart

Recent studies show that student needs are rapidly changing and Mom has a greater focus on affordability than ever before.  That is why Walmart is making a commitment to provide students and parents with a wide variety of laptops at unprecedented savings.    Walmart announced today that it has increased its assortment of affordable laptops with performance for Back-to-School.    As part of the announcement, Walmart is introducing the first-ever $298 Compaq Notebook with 3 GB Memory.

Please refer to the press release below.  Also, check out Walmart’s CheckOutBlog.

“We know all students need solutions that integrate work, entertainment and portability,” said Gary Severson, senior vice president, Entertainment, Walmart U.S. “Our increased assortment delivers more targeted offerings from great brands at dramatically affordable prices.”

· Starting July 26: $298 Compaq Presario Notebook*

For the first time, a 3 GB memory laptop from a well-known brand has ventured below $300.  The Compaq Presario CQ60-419WM offers great functionality with a 160 GB hard drive, CD and DVD drive, and Windows Vista pre-loaded in the notebook for the unprecedented price only at Walmart of $298. This price event begins 8 am July 26 in all stores and on Walmart.com while supplies last. 

· Also Available July 26: $548 Acer 8-hour battery laptop

Perfect for the mobile student who has a full day of classes, Walmart will lower the price of this popular long-lasting Acer unit by $50.  Pre-loaded with Windows Vista Home Premium (qualified for free Windows 7 upgrade), the Acer 15.6 inch AS5810-4657 All Day Computing Laptop with Intel ULV SU2700 has a 3 GB memory, 320 GB hard drive and an eight-hour battery. Its Intel Display Power Savings Technology reduces backlighting with minimal visual impact. Engaging the Acer PowerSmart key and other advanced settings makes this unit up to 40% more efficient than the typical laptop.

· August Additions: More Netbooks, Laptops

The new ultra-portable 10.1 inch HP Mini 110-131NR netbook arrives in stores in early August. This small and light netbook is ideal for the connected student who loves browsing the Internet, enjoying multimedia and chatting on-the-go.

For the entertainment guru, Walmart will introduce in mid-August a 17-inch screen Toshiba L355-18.3 with 3 GB memory and 250 GB hard drive great for work, movie watching and PC gaming. Also in mid-August, Dell will bring to Walmart stores its 4 GB memory, 500 GB hard drive notebook at great savings. (Prices on all to be announced.)

· In stores and Online Now: Personality, Size and Color

Currently Walmart offers the small and mighty 12.1 inch HP dv2 notebook fully loaded with a powerful 4 GB memory and 500 GB hard drive at $698.

This month Walmart also introduced a new colorful assortment of the Dell Inspiron 1545 Laptop at $398 in black, blue, pink, red, purple and aqua to match Walmart’s back to college color pallet for dorm room décor. The notebook also qualifies for a free Windows 7 upgrade this fall.

Available in a variety of colors, matching computer accessories in stores include:

· Western Digital 250 GB hard drive ($60) – Available in black, blue, pink and red  

· Logitech V220 Cordless Optical Mouse ($25) – Available in black, blue, pink and red 

· Logitech LS-11 Stereo Speaker System  ($19 each) – Available in blue or pink 

· Sandisk 4 GB flash drive  ($12) – Available in blue, pink, red, aqua, orange and green

In addition Walmart aims to add more value to the overall purchase extending savings on necessary components and accessories, such as the Kodak All-in-One color printer for $89, Linksys wireless Router under $54 and $19 laptop podiums in various colors.

· Walmart.com varieties and bundles

Walmart.com offers more than 200 notebook and desktop computers, with a wide variety of choices in bold, bright colors and the added savings of free shipping with Site to Store.  Some of the most popular computers only available online include:

o Red Dell Mini 10 inch netbook (4 additional colors only available online) – starting at $348

o Dell laptop bundles (1545 Inspiron with 6 additional exclusive colors with optional bundle selections such as printer, laptop case, mouse, speakers, flash drive, external hard drive and more – starting at $598.

o Acer netbooks from pink, blue, white, red, and black at $298.

o Red computer accessory bundle with Logitech speakers and wireless mouse, and Sandisk flash drive.  Mix or match from 6 colors – starting at $50.

For the buyer searching mostly for the ideal entertainment laptop, Walmart.com has the HP 17 inch Pavilion dv7-1261wm entertainment laptop available at the rollback price of $848.  Also a strong entertainment and workhorse laptop, the sophisticated looking Toshiba 17 inch Satellite P305D-S8900 laptop PC with ATI Radeon graphics and Harman/Kardon virtual surround sound system is $698 and ideal for casual gamers and entertainment enthusiasts looking to replace a desktop computer.

Walmart advises, when looking for a laptop for gaming and entertainment consider a large bright widescreen display which enhances movies, music, and gaming, as well as a powerful processor, DVD player, a large hard drive to store media and generous memory.

Easy Pick-up at Walmart

To lighten the load on shipping, students can use Walmart’s Site-to-Store pick-up for their consumer electronics and dorm room accessory needs by sending their orders made at Walmart.com directly to the Walmart near their school, with no shipping charges.

* Prices and availability may vary in AL, HI, OK, WI and at Walmart.com

From Clorox

A new free resource for moms from The What to Expect Foundation and Clorox called “What to Expect Healthy Home Growth Chart.”  This guide gives parents helpful tips for a healthy home during each milestone of a child’s first few years. 

download for free here

The name of this guide may sound familiar to you if you’re familiar with Heidi Murkoff’s What to Expect Series.  Actually, Heidi worked with The What to Expect Foundation and Clorox to develop the “What to Expect: Guide to a Healthy Home” in 2006.  The “What to Expect Healthy Home Growth Chart” is a new supplement to the original healthy home guide that’s shorter and is broken down by your child’s age.

A few healthy tips from the guide include:

· Set up small changing stations with baby wipes and diapers in multiple rooms in your house to make diaper changing easier on you… especially if you have multiple floors.

· Disinfect frequently-touched surfaces in the home – such as doorknobs, light switches and hard toys – with disinfecting wipes to help prevent the spread of germs.

· If a stuffed toy isn’t machine-washable, put it in a plastic bag in the freezer overnight to help get rid of dust mites.

Try this neat trick: The last page of the guide is a great print-out for moms to post on the fridge or distribute to playgroup members for quick tips.

From Lysol

Americans’ kitchens actually harbored more germs in 2009 than in 2008.  Despite the threat of H1N1 and other illnesses, Americans kitchen hygiene habits have gone downhill.  Key findings include:

• The UK, Germany and Saudi Arabia all had cleaner kitchen sink faucets than the U.S.

• Kitchen surfaces (faucets and sponges) harbor more germs than bathroom surfaces – faucets and sponges are dramatically worse than the toilet flush handle and bathroom door handle. The U.S. fared very well globally in other parts of the home, but our kitchens are hotbeds for germs.

• Despite American home owners claiming to clean their kitchen sink faucets (specifically the handles) once per week, 60 percent of faucets analyzed failed the hygiene test – dramatically worse than 2008 when only 25 percent of kitchen faucets failed.   

• The new study also found that 65 percent of Americans claim to clean or change their kitchen sponge or cloth every month or more , but 70 percent analyzed failed the hygiene test-  only a 5 percent improvement over 2008, when 75 percent failed the hygiene test.