Busy Mom

2011-10-04T09:30:00.004-05:00

Telling our kids: Don't Fret The Sweat and a $100 Visa gift card giveaway

We have three kids, and they've all played various sports over the years. Combine that with the active school days our kids lead and suffice to say, we can have some smells around here.

Even when we don't always realize our babies are growing up, their bodies may let you know in a big way after a soccer game.

My oldest two are teenagers, and they're usually (hey, one is a teenage boy, if you have one, you'll understand)well on the road to regular deodorant use. But, when they were younger, I can remember wondering if we'd recognize the right time for them to start using deodorant (answer: Oh, yes.).

The body odor and deodorant talk accompanied education about other body changes, and was really the time we realized we had "big kids."

Awareness of the body odor issue appears to come a little earlier with girls than boys, and we bought her some deodorant as soon as she asked for it. I'm not aware of her having had an issue that prompted it, but it was all the rage with her friends, and I think she felt more independent and grown-up as she incorporated it into her routine.

When it was time for our son to use deodorant, we started him early so it would become part of his routine before he really needed it. While he seemed to have a "different" level of awareness of body odor, it was a good time to talk to him about body changes, too.

We have an almost-tween coming up, and after yesterday's soccer game, I think it's his time, now, so I'll go to the store and get my thoughts together and see how he responds.

This time, however, there's a great resource for me, and for him.

Unilever, the leading manufacturer of deodorant and antiperspirants and makers of Degree® Men, Degree® Women, Degree® Girl, Dove® and Suave®, has developed an educational resource --Don't Fret The Sweat, to provide parents with tools and kids with opportunities to build confidence and be inspired in everything they do.

Unilever wants to ensure parents and kids remain cool, calm and confident throughout the day, especially during life’s sweat-inducing moments. They provide expert tips, tools and real-life stories about how parents are communicating and transitioning their tweens into confident and self-reliant teens, at the Don't Fret The Sweat Facebook page.

Check it out!

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The giveaway:

Prize: $100 Visa card and a Don't Fret The Sweat gift pack

How to win:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods between 10/4/11 and 11/4/11:

a) Leave a comment telling us how you stay calm, cool and confident during the day.

b) Tweet about this promotion (I’m @busymom) and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post.

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Visit the Official Rules

Don't forget to visit the Visit the BlogHer Prizes & Promotions section for even more chances to win!

I wrote this post while participating in the Univelever/BlogHer program on behalf of the Don't Fret The Sweat campaign. I received monetary compensation for the time to write my post.

2011-07-19T10:46:00.001-05:00

I've been moving with Degree motionSENSE™ “Get Into the Move Challenge" and $100 Visa card giveaway

I told you about the Degree motionSENSE™ and their “Get Into the Move Challenge" a while back. If you'll recall, Degree with motionSENSE™ anti-perspirant & deodorant is the ONLY product that's activated by motion rather than moisture, so it starts working before you start sweating, and that can be significant this time of year and has been helpful to me as I've worked on getting more exercise.

I've been enjoying the Degree motionSENSE™ “Get Into the Move Challenge" application. I've found myself doing more things so I can log them and my recent trip to the beach was good for a lot of activity!

I've counted simple things such as walking from the parking garage at work to my office rather than taking the shuttle and cleaning up the yard, as well as more structured activities like walking or swimming laps. I'm working on finding something more structured that I will stick with and I can do year-round. I might have to fire up the Couch to 5K program again, but we'll see.

Whatever gets you in motion counts, and you can redeem your motionMILES earned for instant prizes, weekly prizes, and a grand prize. Prizes include a surfing trip in Hawaii, designer shoes, gift certificates for Zumba classes and much more. You can also choose to donate motionMILES in a dollar amount to one of two charities: The Challenged Athletes Foundation and Girls in The Game.

It's easy to the Get Into the Move Challenge, just register for the Degree Get into the Move Facebook app or on mobile devices (m.degreewomen.com), and start earning motionMILES, virtual currency redeemable towards chances to win thousands of prizes.

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The giveaway:

Prize: $100 Visa card (that might help y

How to win:

1. No duplicate comments.

2. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry
methods:

a) Leave a comment telling us a simple way you get more movement into your day.

b) Tweet about this promotion (I'm @busymom) and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post.

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post.

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about
an alternate form of entry.

3. This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older

4. Contest ends August 15, 2011 at 5:00 p.m.(PST)

5. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

6. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be
selected.

7. Visit the Official Rules

Don't forget to visit the Prizes and Promotions section for even more chances to win!

I wrote this post while participating in the Degree with motionSENSE/BlogHer program on behalf of Degree with motionSENSE. I received the product to facilitate my post and monetary compensation for the time to write my post.

2011-06-20T11:59:00.003-05:00

Degree motionSENSE™ “Get Into the Move Challenge" and $100 Visa card giveaway

It's no great secret that I need (and want) to be more active than I am. I've been sidelined off and on by various orthopedic maladies, but it's time to get serious about exercising.

Now that summer's here, there are lots of opportunities to get out and do active things, and I've made up my mind to take advantage of them. I've already been swimming with the kids and am trying to incorporate more things like walking from the parking garage at work rather than taking the shuttle.

But, with the temperatures in the upper 90s here, more activity means more (let's face it) sweat and that calls for a deodorant/antiperspirant that can handle heat and activity.

The good folks at Degree have just introduced Degree with motionSENSE. It's the only antiperspirant activated by motion first, not moisture, so women can stay ahead of perspiration.

I received a sample for review, and so far it's been up to the job, even with my increased activity and the hot weather. Some deodorants have obviously failed by the end of the day, but, so far I've noticed that it's still working even after an active day.

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In celebration of the launch of Degree with motionSENSE, Degree has launched the Degree Get into the Move Facebook app and sweepstakes. It's easy to start earning motionMILES for your activities and redeem them for the chance to win great prizes!

I've already got 25 motionMILES, but I'd bet I'd have a ton more if breaking up kid arguments was an activity.

It's easy to join, just register for the Degree Get into the Move Facebook app or on mobile devices (m.degreewomen.com), and start earning motionMILES, virtual currency redeemable towards chances to win thousands of prizes.

It's easy to earn motionMILES, all you have to do is log your activities ("activities" are any way you already move: exercise, running after kids, rushing to a meeting across the building)on the Facebook app.

Be sure to look for special codes that will give you even more motionMILES. You can also earn motionMILES by answering daily trivia questions on the Facebook application, inviting friends to “Get into the Move,” and even logging in daily.

Once earned, you can use motionMILES for a shot at winning instant prizes by spinning the prize wheel or by entering weekly and grand prize sweepstakes.

Prizes include a surfing trip in Hawaii, designer shoes, gift certificates for Zumba classes and much more. You can also choose to donate motionMILES in a dollar amount to one of two charities: The Challenged Athletes Foundation and Girls in The Game.

So, what are you waiting for?

Get Into the Move with Degree with motionSENSE!

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The giveaway:

Prize: $100 Visa card

How to win:

1. No duplicate comments.

2. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry
methods:

a) Leave a comment telling us how you life an active lifestyle.

b) Tweet about this promotion (I'm @busymom) and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post.

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on
this post.

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about
an alternate form of entry.

3. This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older

4. Contest ends 5:00 p.m.(PST) July 18, 2011.

5. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

6. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be
selected.

7. Visit the Official Rules

Don't forget to visit the Prizes and Promotions section for even more chances to win!

I wrote this post while participating in the Degree with motionSENSE/BlogHer program on behalf of Degree with motionSENSE. I received the product to facilitate my post and monetary compensation for the time to write my post.

2011-06-09T09:36:00.001-05:00

Living Positively and Conversations with Coca-Cola

In a couple of days, I'll be headed to Atlanta, GA where I'll be attending the Conversations with Coca-Cola blogger event, and one topic we'll be discussing is what it means to "live positively".

I'm from the south, so I grew up with Coca-Cola. "Have a Coke" is synonymous with "sit down, relax and spend time with friends" which is something I need to do a lot more of, so for me, part of "living positively" means relaxing and not worrying so much about "stuff".

As a matter of fact, my efforts yielded a night out with friends just a couple of nights ago. Even though it was a weeknight and things were busy at home, I said "yes" to an invitation I might have otherwise declined, and I'm so glad I did.

Another way I try to "live positively" is to reign in my natural tendency to be a pessimist. I find it helpful if I focus a little less on me, and a little more on the people around me, but some days are a struggle, so I'm a work in progress!

While I'm there, I'll get to talk with with top Coca-Cola leadership, so please feel free to leave any questions you might have, and I'll be sure to pass them along and get answers!

So, stay tuned, and I look forward to sharing what I've learned!

Disclosure: Coke will be paying for my travel, lodging and activities while in Atlanta, and BlogHer is compensating me for my time for writing this post.

2011-06-08T12:13:00.006-05:00

Samsung Powerfoam Technology $100 Best Buy gift card giveaway

Ah, laundry.

It's just a few clothes run through a couple of machines, right? How much time could that take? After all, the machines do all the work, and we just move the clothes from one spot to another.

Yeah, right.

Laundry is a never ending task around our house. We generate a lot of dirty laundry, and most, (but not all) is legitimate. You know what I'm talking about, the pair of pants that your kid looked at and decided to put in the hamper instead of back in the closet? I don't call that "legitimately dirty".

Our kids are in several different sports and not only do they generate a lot of dirty clothes, more often than not, there are tough stains involved. Combine that with yard work clothes, play clothes and just general daily living clothes (not to mention the towels...oh, the towels, and here we are on the verge of what I call "towel consumption season"...), you get a lot of loads of laundry.

We could do laundry every day and never be caught up. Busy Dad does a lot of the laundry, and he comes from the school of, "Wash 2-3 items at a time" (I come from the school of, "If it fits in there, you can wash it")because he's concerned that things might not get properly clean, so, we're pretty much doing laundry all the time.

If there were something sturdy (we are hard on washers and dryers, y'all)that could enable me to spend less time on laundry and still get things clean, I'd certainly be all over that.

Samsung front-load washer with Exclusive PowerFoam technology looks like it might be a contender. It's a large washer (holds 28 bath towels, my kinda machine!)so that means you'll do fewer loads and save water and electricity, too.

But, when you have such a large load, getting things thoroughly clean is a concern, and that's where the PowerFoam comes in. It makes a powerful (but safe) foam using your regular detergent that penetrates fabric more deeply and quickly, allowing you to wash large or bulky loads in less time.

Less time on laundry? OK by me!

What would I do with that extra time? I should say it would free me up to take care of the rest of the house or make homemade crafts or something. But, I think I'd probably get everyone to bed earlier, since we tend to do laundry at night and the evening schedule can get derailed. Everyone's days would probably run much more smoothly if we had more time in the evening to relax and prepare for the next day.

Now, if Samsung would just come up with something that would make the kids put their clothes away instead of sending them straight back to the laundry when they don't want to deal with them, I'd be the most well-rested person ever.

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The giveaway:

Prize: $100 Best Buy card

How to win:

1. No duplicate comments.

2. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry
methods:

a) Leave a comment telling us what you'd do with more time.

b) Tweet about this promotion (I'm @busymom) and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post.

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on
this post.

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about
an alternate form of entry.

3. This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older

4. Contest ends on June 30, 2011 at 5:00 p.m. (PST)

5. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

6. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be
selected.

7. Visit the Official Rules

Don't forget to visit the Promotions and Prizes section for even more chances to win!

Also, be sure to come visit me at Busy Mom Blog, it's always open!

I wrote this post while participating in the Samsung/BlogHer program on behalf of Samsung. I received monetary compensation for the time to write my post.

2011-05-05T13:31:00.020-05:00

Sprite Tabs for Habitat

I have 3 kids who love being outdoors. They've all gone to summer camp, and would live there if they could, and my middle child enjoys backpacking. Each of them is involved in sports as well, and the benefits of these activities go far beyond those of health and exercise.

In addition to cultivating a love and respect for the outdoors, they've also had opportunities for leadership through sports teams and leading younger campers. They've been exposed to different careers from athletics, coaching and youth leadership to outdoor sciences. As a matter of fact, Busy Boy (age 14) is seriously considering a career in Wildlife and Fisheries science that was sparked from his experiences at camp and being outdoors.

Also though these activities, all three have learned self-reliance that's translated into maturity, particularly in the classroom at school, and we all know that being able to release excess energy outside is an important way to help kids get ready to learn.

We are very lucky to have the resources in our community to make this all possible. There are parks, sports facilities, camps and even back yards ready for play that have provided my kids with skills and memories to last a lifetime.

But, not everyone is as fortunate as we are, so Sprite has started the Spark Parks Project, an ongoing effort to refresh parks, playgrounds and active spaces across the nation.

Here's how you can get involved:

Beginning April 1, 2011, Sprite is partnering with Habitat for Humanity. Look for specially marked Sprite and Sprite Zero cans with green tabs and collect them. For each green tab from Sprite or Sprite Zero received by 6/30/11, Sprite will donate 10¢ per tab up to $500,000 (with a minimum donation of $250,000) to Habitat for Humanity.

We've started collecting them, and since Sprite is big around here, the kids are excited to see how many they can collect! But, hurry, the tabs must be received by June 30, 2011.

Why not do something fun while you're collecting green tabs? It's always nice to have some pictures of your family activities and $100 from Shutterfly would go a long way in documenting your memories. You can even take pictures with your Sprite Tabs for Habitat you've collected!

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The giveaway:

Prize: $100 Shutterfly.com gift card

How to win:

1. No duplicate comments.

2. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry
methods:

a) Leave a comment telling us how you plan to keep your family in
motion this summer. Volunteering, community/team sports, or how about summer
camps? Tell us!

b) Tweet about this promotion (I'm @busymom) and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post.

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on
this post.

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about
an alternate form of entry.

e. Upload a photo of your personal green tabs collection on the sweepstakes main page at http://www.blogher.com/sprite-tabs-habitat. Be sure to leave a comment here telling me you did it!

3. This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older

4. Contest ends 5:00 p.m. (PST) May 31, 2011.

5. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

6. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be
selected.

7. Visit the official rules

Don't forget to visit the Promotions & Prizes page for even more chances to win!

(I have some other giveaways going on, too! Enter to win a $50 gas card and enter to win 1 of 5 full-value Sara Lee dessert coupons).

I wrote this post while participating in the Sprite Tabs/BlogHer program on behalf of Sprite. I received the product to facilitate my post and monetary compensation for the time to write my post.

2011-04-18T12:33:00.006-05:00

Our Seattle's Best Coffee Level System Results and another $100 Amazon gift card giveaway

This is a sponsored review from BlogHer.

We've had a chance to go through the Seattle's Best Coffee Level System.

In case you're not familiar with it, Seattle's Best Coffee makes finding and enjoying premium packaged coffee easy with a unique level system that helps you find your taste profile. The new Seattle's Best Coffee Level System features coffee blends numbered 1 through 5, rated from lightest to boldest instead of trying to wade through names of various roasts.

Here's our (Busy Dad's and my) results:

Level 1 – "mild, light crisp" - Light, smooth, a bit of an after-taste, but a good one. It might be good for a casual coffee drinker.

Level 2 – "lively easy drinking" - This one is a good "regular" coffee taste, almost sweet.

Level 3 – "balanced, smooth, full-flavored" - As expected, this level was a little stronger, which I prefer. A good "middle of the road" coffee.

Level 4 – "rich, elegant, complex" - This one was my favorite, I liked it best with the way I drink my coffee: half-and-half only. Very smooth, yet strong enough to have a distinct taste.

Level 5 – "bold, dark, intense" - This one was strong, but without the "burnt" taste some bolder coffees have. It's smooth, and for the serious coffee drinker.

I'm a Level 4. I thought I was going to be a Level 5 for sure, but I preferred this one, it tasted a little smoother to me. Busy Dad turned out to be a Level 3 which surprised me a little.

Visit Seattle's Best Facebook page to find your level or try a cup for yourself.

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The giveaway:

Prize: $100 Amazon gift card

How to win: Leave a comment on this post telling us what level of Seattle's Best Coffee you are if you've tried it, or what level you think you might be.

1. No duplicate comments.

2. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry
methods:

a) Leave a comment telling us what level of Seattle's Best Coffee you are or think you might be.

b) Tweet about this promotion (I'm @busymom) and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment
on this post.

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on
this post.

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about
an alternate form of entry.

3. This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older

4. Contest ends 5:00 p.m. (PST) April 30, 2011.

5. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

6. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be
selected.

7. Visit the Official Rules

Don't forget to visit the Exclusive Offers section page for even more chances to win!

I wrote this post while participating in the Seattle's Best Coffee/BlogHer program on behalf of Seattle's Best Coffee. I received the product to facilitate my post and monetary compensation for the time to write my post.

2011-04-11T15:17:00.003-05:00

Staying healthy with Tropicana Orange Juice - Visa Gift Card Giveaway

This is a sponsored post from BlogHer and Tropicana.

It's a big job keeping kids and families healthy. There's so many more temptations out there compared to when I was growing up, and kids have to learn to make healthy choices.

All 3 of our kids play sports, so they get lots of exercise, and we try to enjoy that outdoor time as a family, as well. But, they also like video games and using the computer, so we have to make sure they get a balance in their activity.

We're very lucky that they like most fruits and vegetables. But, sometimes as they get older and busier and eat away from home, it's harder to make sure they're getting what they need.

I try to keep fruits and vegetables interesting in the refrigerator so they'll choose them while they're standing there staring at the food (you know what I'm talking about). For example, for some reason, matchstick carrots have become wildly popular around here. I guess it beats the same old baby carrots day in an day out. Whatever the reason, I'll take it because everyone is eating carrots.

Fruit arranged in some sort of container seems to get more attention here, too. If I stack apples in a bowl, they go a lot faster than they do when they're just in the fridge. And, no one seems to be able to resist the call of the oranges in the little wooden crate.

Additionally, Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice can play a part in helping people get their recommended servings of fruit since it counts as two servings of fruit, and you can drink it on the go.

A 59-ounce container has16 fresh-picked oranges squeezed inside, and an eight-ounce glass of orange juice provides a full day’s supply of vitamin C, as much potassium as a medium banana, and it's a natural source of the B vitamin folate.

Pledge to squeeze more fruits and veggies into your day & Tropicana will
help kids in need. Tropicana will donate one 8-oz glass of orange juice to
the USDA School Breakfast and Summer Food Service programs, up to 184,375
8-oz glasses. Please pledge by going to http://bit.ly/gAU7Eq . Promo will
end 12/31/11.

How do you get fruit and vegetables in your family's diet?

Prize: $100 Visa gift card

How to win: Leave a comment telling us some ways you get fruit and vegetables in your family's diet.

Rules:

1. No duplicate comments.

2. You may receive two (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry
methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet about this promotion (I'm @busymom) and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment
on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on
this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about
an alternate form of entry.

3. This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older

4. Contest ends 5:00 p.m. (PST) May 9, 2011.

4. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

5. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be
selected.

6. Visit the Official Rules

Be sure to check out Tropicana on Facebook and Tropicana on Twitter

Don't forget to visit the Exclusive Offers page for even more chances to win, and visit back here in 2 weeks for another chance to win a $100 Visa gift card here at Busy Mom Reviews!

I wrote this post while participating in the Tropicana Pure Premium/BlogHer program on behalf of Tropicana Pure Premium. I received product information to facilitate my post and monetary compensation for the time to write my post.

2011-04-01T14:29:00.003-05:00

Seattle's Best Coffee Level System $100 Amazon gift card giveaway

This is a sponsored review from BlogHer.

We are coffee drinkers, mainly in the mornings.

Busy Dad drinks his with milk and sugar, while I drink mine with half-and-half only. He downs his before he leaves the house in the morning during the week, and I fix mine to go in a travel mug that I usually finish before I get to work.

On the weekends, I enjoy my coffee in a mug (I think it tastes better in a mug for some reason), and may drink 2-3 cups, while Busy Dad still tends to down his in one fell swoop. No, I'm not sure why...

We tend to buy the same brand(s) over and over, mostly out of routine. But, when a new Seattle's Best store opened near us, we enjoyed checking it out, so we were excited for the opportunity to try out their newest offering.

Seattle's Best makes finding and enjoying premium packaged coffee easy with a unique level system that helps you find your taste profile. The new Seattle's Best Coffee Level System features coffee blends numbered 1 through 5, rated from lightest to boldest instead of trying to wade through names of various roasts.

We're making our way through the levels, and I suspect it will turn out that we're each a different one, as he likes his close to the strength of a brown crayon dipped in hot water, and my coffee can stand up by itself.

Something tells me that most people fall somewhere in between that, but I could be wrong. I'm guessing we're a 1 and a 5, but who knows? Stay tuned.

Visit Seattle's Best Facebook page to find your level or try a cup for yourself.

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The giveaway:

Prize: $100 Amazon gift card

How to win: Leave a comment on this post telling us what level of Seattle's Best Coffee you think you might be.

1. No duplicate comments.

2. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry
methods:

a) Leave a comment telling us what level of Seattle's Best Coffee you think you might be.

b) Tweet about this promotion (I'm @busymom) and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment
on this post.

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on
this post.

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about
an alternate form of entry.

3. This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older

4. Contest ends 5:00 p.m. (PST) April 17, 2011.

5. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

6. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be
selected.

7. Visit the Official Rules

Don't forget to visit the Exclusive Offers section page for even more chances to win, and visit back here in 2 weeks to find out what levels we are, and for another chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card here at Busy Mom Reviews!

I wrote this post while participating in the Seattle's Best Coffee/BlogHer program on behalf of Seattle's Best Coffee. I received the product to facilitate my post and monetary compensation for the time to write my post.

2011-03-31T13:40:00.002-05:00

Gatorade Moms $100 Dick's Sporting Goods gift card giveaway

This is a sponsored post from BlogHer and GATORADE.

All 3 of my kids play sports, so we've been sports parents for a long time.

Over the years, Busy Girl, age 16, has played soccer, basketball and volleyball, Busy Boy, age
14, has played football, basketball, and rugby, and Busy D., age 8, has played soccer and basketball.

At the moment, Busy Girl plays volleyball year round with travel and school, and Busy Boy plays high school rugby. Busy D. plays travel soccer, as well, so our kids play sports at a fairly intense level that keeps us busy, but we love it.

People sometimes ask why we do all this, why do we spend so much time and energy on kids' sports?

The reasons are as varied as each child's personality, but, overall, sports have provided our kids with not only the opportunity for exercise, but also for getting along with other people, developing leadership skills, staying busy (important when you have teenagers, just trust me), setting and achieving goals and making new friends.

As a parent, when the kids are young, you feel like you're doing almost as much work as they are with buying equipment, keeping uniforms clean, driving to practice etc., but as they get older, they begin to take on some of these responsibilities themselves (at least I heard some peoples' kids do, anyway ;) and your role changes.

However, one thing that remains constant is that as a parent, you are responsible for making sure they get the proper nutrition they need to perform on the field or on the court, particularly in competitive sports.

Recently, the “Gatorade Sports Moms Study”, a poll of 900 moms of middle and high school students, found that 7 in 10 of the nearly 13 million moms with children this age are raising kids in competitive sports.

The study also found that these sports moms spend one-third more time and more than twice as much money across their children’s entire span of extracurricular activities than moms without kids in sports, but they report that they are able to juggle these extra demands.

Researchers found that nutrition is one of the top ways that moms influence their young athlete, and they have concerns about areas such as protein, hydration, and pre/post game fuel.

The folks at Gatorade want to help you support your young athlete with a new resource called Gatorade Moms.

Gatorade Moms is a resource for sports nutrition information, training tips and advice from scientists at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI). You can find informative articles, and videos from real moms who work hard to support their athletes.

The giveaway

Prize: $100 Dick's Sporting Goods gift card

How to win: Leave a comment telling us one great way to support a young athlete.

Rules:

1. No duplicate comments.

2. You may receive two (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry
methods:

a) Leave a comment telling us one great way to support a young athlete.

b) Tweet about this promotion (I'm @busymom) and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment
on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on
this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about
an alternate form of entry.

3. This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older

4. Contest ends 5:00 p.m. (PST) April 30, 2011.

4. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

5. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be
selected.

6. Visit the Official Rules

Don't forget to visit BlogHer's Prizes & Promotions section for even more chances to win!

I wrote this post while participating in the Gatorade/BlogHer program on behalf of Gatorade. I received product information to facilitate my post and monetary compensation for the time to write my post.

2010-12-08T13:00:00.006-06:00

Healthy eating during the holiday season

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and The Laughing Cow.

The holidays are officially upon us, and that means (among lots of other things) food. Often, a lot of it.

How do you manage so much good, but not necessarily good-for-you, food during this time of year?

Left to my own devices, I could live off appetizers year round. The lure of tiny sandwiches and food in a ball format is nearly too much for me to resist. So, for me, it's important to keep a regular meal routine. I make sure to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner as I normally do, perhaps a little lighter fare, though.

I am not someone who should go to a party hungry.

When I'm at a party, I'm probably supposed to tell you I just stick to the vegetable tray and drink water.

But, I'd be lying.

At a party, I decide on a few things that I'd like to try and I try them, but they have to fit on the smallest plate available.

If I routinely deny myself an item at the buffet, I find that I think about it, and give in, sometimes eating more than if I had just gotten some in the first place. After that, I try to carry a drink to occupy my hands and explore that gathering in the room away from the food.

I don't think there's any magic way to handle holiday food. You have to eat less, or move more. But, it's also a time for celebration and I try not to get too hung up about it and use some common sense.

Other ideas:

- The holidays are a great time to visit with old friends, consider meeting for a walk at the park rather than a meal, and catch up while you get a little exercise.

- Volunteer to bring your favorite healthy dish to the party. That way, you're assured of something you like and call fill up on if the other food choices aren't as healthy.

- Eat a high protein meal before you go to the party, it'll help you feel full, longer

How do you try to eat healthy and manage your portions during the holiday season with everyone showering unhealthy food choices on you? Do tell, for a chance to win a $150 Visa gift card!

Share a story in the comment section, tweet or blog about this entry (be sure to leave a link to your efforts in the comments below), and you will be entered to win.

Rules:

1. No duplicate comments.

2. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) Read the official rules for alternate form of entry.

3. This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.

4. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

5. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

6. The Official Rules are available here.

Please keep your comments G-rated as any profanity or offensive content will automatically disqualify you from sweepstakes entry.

Sweepstakes dates are 12/8/10-12/28/10.

Also, be sure to visit The Daily Tip hub at the BlogHer.com special offers page to read funny content each day and for a weekly chance to win a $100 Visa gift card at the “Play For Laughs” game, as well as to visit the 17 other Daily Laugh Curators who are also giving away $150 Visa gift cards each month.

If you share something really funny, we may even use it in The Daily Dose!

2010-11-15T11:00:00.004-06:00

Keeping fit during Appetizer Season

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and The Laughing Cow.

The holidays are almost here.

Yes, I'm serious.

I also call it "Appetizer Season", for, from the day Halloween dawns until the end of the Super Bowl, it's all miniature sausages, all the time.

Food on a toothpick combined with a busy social schedule and daylight getting shorter can really wreak havoc on healthy eating and exercise.

Magazines are full of advice how to maintain healthy living during the season, but the fact is, it can be really hard. For me, my couch and a blanket always sound a little (OK, a LOT) better than hitting the dark and cold streets for a walk.

When the days get shorter, I try to get some more activity in while I'm at work, since my brain always thinks it's time for bed when it gets dark, and I'm not likely to leave the house or go back out for exercise.

If the weather is nice, I get outside and walk. If I can't do that, then I hit the hallways and stairs at work during lunch.

As far as parties go, I'm afraid there's not any revolutionary advice other than to eat before you go, try to make good food and drink selections at the party, and visit with friends away from the food table.

Oh, yes, I do know that's easier said than done, and I really struggle with the "don't go to a party hungry" concept, because I LOVE party food.

I think the key to keeping fit during the holidays is to create or stay with a routine, even when the weather and your schedule changes, plan ahead.

How do you stay fit as the seasons change and all of the holiday temptations begin? Do tell, for a chance to win!

Share a funny story in the comment section, tweet or blog about this entry (be sure to leave a link to your efforts in the comments below), and you will be entered to win a $150 Visa gift card.

Two (2) valid entries per person, please.

Please keep your comments G-rated as any profanity or offensive content will automatically disqualify you from sweepstakes entry.

Sweepstakes dates are 11/15/10-12/5/10. Find out more from the official contest rules.

Also, be sure to visit The Daily Tip hub at the BlogHer.com special offers page to read funny content each day and for a weekly chance to win a $100 Visa gift card at the “Play For Laughs” game, as well as to visit the 11 other Daily Laugh Curators who are also giving away $150 Visa gift cards each month.

If you share something really funny, we may even use it in The Daily Laugh!

2010-11-15T09:00:00.002-06:00

Taking it to the House with the Packers and the Titans

This is a sponsored post by BlogHer and P&G.

We live in the south. This is football country.

Friday night is high school football, Saturday morning is the grade school games, and Saturday afternoon brings the college contests.

Sunday is all about the NFL, and we live in a House Divided.

NFL Game Day around here means either baby blue, or green and gold, it depends on who you ask. We live in Tennessee, but Busy Dad's family is from Wisconsin, so we cheer for the Titans and the Packers.

Most of the time, the two peacefully co-exist, but every now and then, we're forced to pick sides, and it's not hard to spot who's for whom:

The Titans have only been around Tennessee since 1997, but despite a rocky start getting here, the town has really rallied around them. We love to watch every Sunday where we simultaneously cheer for them, and complain about them (passing game, what's that?).

They've been to the Super Bowl, and they've had seasons where they've lost 6 or 7 games in a row. There's been a couple of missteps along the way *cough* Pacman Jones *cough*, but our Titans are first class and they're a part of our community now.

Hmm...Randy Moss is a part of our community, now...

Anyway.

Game day around here is strangely enough often spent in the kitchen. I think it's mostly because we're still working around the house when the noon game kicks off, and we just start watching in there.

Most of the time, we have the usual snack fare, but the Packers-Vikings game always gets brats, German potato salad and Sauerkraut in honor of the German heritage shared by Busy Dad and both teams.

Oh, and if you're wondering: Aaron Rodgers.

We go to the Titans games occasionally, but we really enjoy taking the NFL to our house the most.

Take it to the House

Promote Your Page Too

Be sure to check out the BlogHer.com exclusive offers page for 19 other bloggers’ game day stories!

BlogHer.com official rules page

Enter to win:

1. Here’s a great opportunity to get some great prizes from one of the NFL’s sponsors, Procter & Gamble.

Check out their “Take it to the House” program and photo contest, where prizes include a $10,000 community donation to support NFL PLAY 60 and an at-home visit from a local NFL legend!

One lucky Grand Prize Winner will even win a trip to the 2011 Pro Bowl in Hawaii. Show us how you and your football family bring NFL game day to life at home at www.facebook.com/TakeItToTheHouse (click on the contest tab)!

2. Facebook contest info:

This football season, YOU have a chance to win some amazing prizes!

In football speak, “Taking it to the House” means scoring a long touchdown, but this season, Procter & Gamble, one of NFL’s sponsors, wants to help you take it to the house as part of their Facebook photo contest.

Prizes include an at-home visit from a local team legend, a $10,000 community donation in support of NFL PLAY 60 and P&G products.

Show P&G how you bring NFL game day to life at home with your football family for an opportunity to meet an NFL legend, win awesome P&G products and get a $10,000 donation for a children’s health and wellness organization in your community in support of NFL PLAY 60. One lucky Grand Prize Winner will even win a trip to the 2011 Pro Bowl in Hawaii!

It’s easy, moms! Just submit a photo of your “football family” on NFL game day. For more information on “Take it to the House” and to enter the photo contest, visit www.facebook.com/TakeItToTheHouse and click the contest tab.

2010-10-26T16:53:00.004-05:00

Teens and sexting

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and LG Text Ed

You might as well accept that texting is a part of life, especially if you have teens. If you don't have teens yet, and you don't text, it's time to start, because it's how teens communicate, and I promise, you're not going to want to miss out.

For the most part, texting really doesn't bother me, it's simply a communication tool, not the downfall of society.

But, like many things, you have to teach your kids how and when to use it. When I was growing up, we were attached to the phone night and day, just talking to each other about nothing, and our parents had to teach us that other people might want to use the phone, and it was time to hang up.

And, like many things, texting can be abused.

It seems like everywhere you turn in the media, someone is "sexting" someone else.

But, guess what? It's not just limited to celebrities and "other people", it could happen at your house.

And, no, I don't believe that potential for abuse shouldn't cause you to decide that kids shouldn't have phones. Like I tell my teens (I have two), their phones are not for their convenience, their phones are for MY convenience, and that kind of sweeping decision would impact me.

So, what do you do? How do you keep kids from abusing the privilege of a cell phone by sexting?

You can't.

What you CAN do is teach them about their bodies, and sex, because the issue is more than just about having a phone and sending inappropriate messages or photos, it's about knowledge and respect. Remember, the phone is simply a tool.

In our house, my kids know that I can, and will, look at their phones at any time, and it may be without their knowledge. Now, I try not to abuse it, but I do look at their phones on a regular basis.

It's imperative to learn to use, and actually use, the same technology your teens do. I feel strongly that if you don't know how to use it, then they shouldn't have access to it.

Regarding cell phones specifically, you have to know how to use your kids' phones (don't forget about other wireless devices, too) if you want to know what they're doing on there.

When my kids were younger, they assumed I could read their text messages through the cell phone billing, and, while I didn't say that was true, I admit I did nothing to correct that misperception, and it worked for a while.

Now that they know better, I do spend some time examining their Inboxes, Sent Folder, Trash and other folders on their phones (they hide saved messages and photos in inconspicuously named folders) to get a feel for what's going on and if things are appropriate.

If someone's Inbox or Sent folders are regularly empty, then my Suspicion-o-meter is set off, and we have a little talk.

None of this is foolproof. I know, because the sexting thing happened here with one of my kids.

The actual message was fairly mild as far as these things go, but it launched quite a few discussions:

- Kids never consider that the recipient of an inappropriate message would forward or show it to other people because it's often sent to someone they "looooove..." and he/she would "never" do that. Um, yeah. Yeah, they would.

- They don't consider how it affects the rest of the family if the message were to get out. Siblings have to go to school and hear about it, and in our case, a parent is a teacher at the school.

- I really emphasize to my kids that sexting can be sexual harassment (doesn't matter if you are a guy or a girl) and that sexual harassment is ILLEGAL

- They also don't realize that they have potentially sent someone pornography and that both the subject and recipient are minors. Also ILLEGAL

- Especially with boys, I drill it into their heads that forwarding something inappropriate that they receive is distributing porn. Once again: ILLEGAL

- Most of all, though, it may not be about the phone, it's about self-respect, and someone who participates in sexting needs to learn they are better than that.

Though I've found the vast majority of my teens' phone habits quite routine, never say "never" about teens and sexting, because you just never know. Do your best to talk about it before it occurs, stay vigilant(not the same as harassing or spying) and be prepared to discuss it should it happen at your house.

Each comment left on this post benefits DoSomething.org with a $0.50 donation!

Visit LG Text Ed , where Dr. Rosalind Wiseman explains the dangers and consequences of this new form of flirting. You can also watch Emmy award winning actress Jane Lynch share a lesson on the sensitive stuff kids are sending around without thinking about the consequences.

2010-10-26T08:02:00.001-05:00

Kellogg's Love Your Cereal Mom's Breakfast Club- Week 12

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

I've really enjoyed telling you about Kellogg's Love Your Cereal over the past 12 weeks, and thanks so much for your comments. This is the last week I'm giving away a $100 Visa Gift Card, so let's make it a good one!

The holidays are drawing near(I know!), and we begin to make plans with friends and family. Often (maybe too often, according to the scale), these plans are centered around a meal, such as Christmas breakfast.

Meal time is a great time for family traditions, everyone is usually together, and mornings are often spent with the immediate family before the hub bub of the day begins.

When our kids were younger, we used to have pancakes every Sunday morning, but sports now have us running out the door on some Sundays, so we don't do it as often. We don't really have any other morning traditions except for a Sausage Breakfast Casserole on Christmas morning, but I think we need to start one before our oldest leaves for college in a couple of years.

How about you? Do you have any yearly (or more frequent)morning traditions? I could use some ideas!

Cereal can be a convenient and affordable part of a balanced, nutritious breakfast. Want to know more? Check out Kellogg's Love Your Cereal.

The contest

Enter for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card (that would buy a lot of cereal)

To enter, leave a comment below and tell us about your yearly morning traditions.

Contest ends 5pm PST November 1, 2010.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive one (1)additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link to your tweet in the comments OR by blogging about the sweepstakes and leaving a link to your post in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US-Residents aged 18 and older
* Winner will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Official rules

Be sure to check out the BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page for 24 other chances to win a $100 Visa Gift Card.

Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.

2010-10-19T04:35:00.001-05:00

Kellogg's Love Your Cereal Mom's Breakfast Club- Week 11

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

It seems like all I do at home is wash bowls. We have a large set of plain, glass bowls, and it's not unusual for every one of them to be in the dishwasher at any given time.

What do the five of us eat out of so many bowls?

I'm really not sure, it seems like there are often way more dirty bowls than meals, but who am I to judge? In addition to cereal, there are so many good things that come in a bowl: soup, chili, stew, fruit, ice cream...there's a lot of possibilities.

I really like soup this time of year. Even though I'm not stellar at it (have been trying to perfect my grandmother's vegetable beef soup for years), it's something I can make and we can eat it throughout the day on the weekend, or freeze some to use on busy weeknights.

In addition to vegetable beef, I really like french onion broccoli cheese and potato soups, but, come to think of it, I really don't make those very well, either. In fact, broccoli cheese soup is best left to the restaurants, I think.

Anyway...

What "meal in a bowl" do you like the best? Are you a better soup-maker than I? Are you an ice cream fiend (that is too a meal in my book), or would you rather sit down with a bowl of fruit?

The contest

Enter for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card (that would buy a lot of cereal)

To enter, leave a comment below and tell us about your favorite meal in a bowl.

Contest ends 5pm PST October 25, 2010.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive one (1)additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link to your tweet in the comments OR by blogging about the sweepstakes and leaving a link to your post in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US-Residents aged 18 and older
* Winner will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Official rules

Be sure to check out the BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page for 24 other chances to win a $100 Visa Gift Card and be sure to come back here each week, I'm doing a giveaway this week and next.

Cereal can be a convenient and affordable part of a balanced, nutritious breakfast. Want to know more? Check out Kellogg's Love Your Cereal.

Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.

2010-10-11T16:05:00.005-05:00

Kellogg's Love Your Cereal Mom's Breakfast Club- Week 10

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

We've established that the morning routine can be rushed. Even if yours isn't, it's helpful to serve things you know your family will eat to make sure everyone eats a good breakfast, and you can get on with your day.

I'm fortunate that my kids aren't picky eaters, and since they're older, they can let us know what they'd like for breakfast. But, even so, it's important to keep a stock of a "go-to" item for breakfast for those times we're in a hurry or for when the other stuff runs out before we get to the grocery.

Our standby breakfast item is Eggo Buttermilk Waffles. Why no, I didn't have to name a Kellogg's product, we really do keep a lot of these on hand.

Everyone likes them, and my strange kids will also eat them frozen, so they can be a "grab and go" item in our house, as well. They're one of the first things we reach for when we grocery shop on vacation and only need a few days worth of groceries.

What's the one thing you depend on for breakfast at your house?

The contest

Enter for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card (that would buy a lot of cereal)

To enter, leave a comment below and tell us about your favorite "go-to" breakfast that everyone will eat.

Contest ends 5pm PST October 18, 2010.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive one (1)additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link to your tweet in the comments OR by blogging about the sweepstakes and leaving a link to your post in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US-Residents aged 18 and older
* Winner will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Official rules

Be sure to check out the BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page for 24 other chances to win a $100 Visa Gift Card and be sure to come back here each week, I'm doing a giveaway for the next 2 weeks.

Cereal can be a convenient and affordable part of a balanced, nutritious breakfast. Want to know more? Check out Kellogg's Love Your Cereal.

Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.

2010-10-11T07:23:00.002-05:00

Motivation Hurts - $150 Visa Gift Card drawing from The Laughing Cow

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and The Laughing Cow.

I'll be honest, it's a struggle for me to exercise and do the things I know I should do to be fit.

Every now and then, though, I'll get into a groove, and I do quite well, but I'm bad about waiting until I get in the "right frame of mind" before I get motivated and with the program.

Motivation found me one summer as I was hiking with friends. We were descending a mountain after an overnight stay at the top, and we were looking about as good as you might think we'd look after an 8 mile hike each way at a high altitude.

I was already a little down on myself because I was probably the slowest member of the group, and I was wishing I had been a little more conditioned for the trip, when the male members of my party "took notice" of a pretty girl headed the opposite way.

Something about that struck me, and I vowed I'd be the one turning heads next time. Don't ask me why, it was just a moment of inspiration.

I dieted and ran dutifully upon my return home. Each evening, I'd go out and pound the pavement to a little chant that summed up my situation, and matched my running pace.

Yeah, like I'd really tell you what the chant was...

Unfortunately, one evening, I got a little too far into my rhythm and inspirationally chanted my way face down into a ditch.

I got my wish, though: I was the one turning heads.

Have you done any funny things to motivate yourself or someone you know to exercise? Do tell, for a chance to win!

Share a funny story in the comment section, tweet or blog about this entry (be sure to leave a link to your efforts in the comments below), and you will be entered to win a $150 Visa gift card.

Two (2) valid entries per person, please.

Please keep your comments G-rated as any profanity or offensive content will automatically disqualify you from sweepstakes entry.

Sweepstakes dates are 10/11/10-11/7/10. Find out more from the official contest rules.

Also, be sure to visit The Daily Laugh hub at the BlogHer.com special offers page to read funny content each day and for a weekly chance to win a $100 Visa gift card at the “Play For Laughs” game, as well as to visit the 11 other Daily Laugh Curators who are also giving away $150 Visa gift cards each month.

If you share something really funny, we may even use it in The Daily Laugh!

2010-10-03T19:58:00.008-05:00

Kellogg's Love Your Cereal Mom's Breakfast Club- Week 9

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

We've already established that mornings can be a hectic time, especially if your kids are older, and you have to get them out the door to school or sports, and it's always nice to have some foods on hand to make things simpler.

For us, Nutri-Grain Cereal Bars (not a product placement, we really do eat a lot of them) are a must-have when we're in a hurry.

As I've said before, there are times we have to leave the house at dark-thirty, and no one wants to get up any earlier than they have to, so breakfast is sometimes in the car. They're also good for snacks after early morning sports games when it's not quite time for lunch.

Keeping a variety of cereals around as well as Eggo Waffles also simplifies the breakfast routine for us since there's bound to be something everyone likes, and the chance for arguing (about food, anyway) is diminished.

To keep things simple in the mornings, it's also important to do a check the night before to make sure you have things like, oh, say milk, juice and food, so you can actually have breakfast the next day.

Also, like we've talked about before, it's imperative that everyone get everything, books, lunch, clothes, shoes etc., the night before so everything is ready to go out the door. We have to do it every single day, no matter how late at night it is. As a matter of fact, I need to go do lunches and drink money right now.

Do you have a special routine or foods you keep on hand to make your mornings simpler? Share it below!

Cereal can be a convenient and affordable part of a balanced, nutritious breakfast. Want to know more? Check out Kellogg's Love Your Cereal.

The contest

Enter for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card (that would buy a lot of cereal)

To enter, leave a comment below and tell us what kinds of food make your mornings simpler.

Contest ends 5pm PST October 11, 2010.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive one (1)additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link to your tweet in the comments OR by blogging about the sweepstakes and leaving a link to your post in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US-Residents aged 18 and older
* Winner will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Official rules

Be sure to check out the BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page for 24 other chances to win a $100 Visa Gift Card and be sure to come back here each week, I'm doing a giveaway for the next 3 weeks.

Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.

2010-09-28T09:09:00.001-05:00

Kellogg's Love Your Cereal Mom's Breakfast Club- Week 8

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

Ah, the weekend.

Even though you still (usually) eat breakfast, the routine can be very different that the weekdays.

For us, there are phases where we don't have the same schedule twice.

Certain times of the year, some of us need to be up and out of the house by 6am on Saturday with sports, etc., while others of us may not need to be anywhere at all.

Therefore, unless it's a holiday or something, we usually have no set breakfast time. As a matter of fact, breakfast shifts can go on for hours on weekend mornings. Unfortunately, that sometimes results in the meals for the day getting really off schedule.

Dinner at 9, anyone?

(Yeah, we have to work on that, sometimes. But, hey, this is about breakfast, right?)

All of my kids, even the youngest, can fix (notice I said "can fix", and not "do fix", but,that's another story)their own breakfasts, so it's important to have something easy to prepare and that they like.

We keep several different kinds of cereal around, so that everyone can get something when they want it, and those that have to get up and out of the house can eat quickly, or even take it with them.

Yes, our weekend mornings can be wild, but I wouldn't trade them for anything.

OK, OK, I might trade one for some sleep, but you get my drift. Either way, though, I know everyone will have a decent breakfast on the weekend, even if it's at 5 different times.

Cereal can be a convenient and affordable part of a balanced, nutritious breakfast. Want to know more? Check out Kellogg's Love Your Cereal.

The contest

Enter for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card (that would buy a lot of cereal)

To enter, leave a comment below and tell us about your weekend breakfast routine.

Contest ends 5pm PST October 4, 2010.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive one (1)additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link to your tweet in the comments OR by blogging about the sweepstakes and leaving a link to your post in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US-Residents aged 18 and older
* Winner will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Official rules

Be sure to check out the BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page for 24 other chances to win a $100 Visa Gift Card and be sure to come back here each week, I'm doing a giveaway for the next 5 weeks.

Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.

2010-09-21T09:00:00.001-05:00

Kellogg's Love Your Cereal Mom's Breakfast Club- Week 7

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

Now that we know each other a little better over here, I feel like I can tell you: I'm not always a good breakfast eater.

Part of it is that I usually don't get hungry until around 9:30 or 10:00 am. I've always been like that, even as a kid. So, sometimes it's hard for me to get enthused about getting breakfast on the table on hectic school mornings.

But, make no mistake, even with teenagers, we always serve breakfast, and my kids eat it, though I think the youngest has inherited my penchant for late breakfast. Besides being the right thing to do nutrition-wise, it's just part of our routine, and sticking with one routine helps the day go more smoothly.

We also quickly review the calendar before everyone leaves for the day. It's helpful to visualize what the day will bring, and it (usually) keeps us from forgetting to pick up a kid, since getting left at school doesn't exactly help the day have a positive spin.

As we've talked about before, one of the most important things for us to start the day on a positive note is to make sure everyone is ready for school the night before. If we're organized, and on time, everyone leaves the house in a better mood, and that sets the tone for the day. Since cereal is quick and easy to serve, it often plays a big part in our ability to get out of the house on time.

Cereal can be a convenient and affordable part of a balanced, nutritious breakfast. Want to know more? Check out Kellogg's Love Your Cereal.

The contest

Enter for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card (that would buy a lot of cereal)

To enter, leave a comment below and tell us how you make sure the day starts off on a positive note.

Contest ends 5pm PST September 27, 2010.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive one (1)additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link to your tweet in the comments OR by blogging about the sweepstakes and leaving a link to your post in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US-Residents aged 18 and older
* Winner will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Official rules

Be sure to check out the BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page for 24 other chances to win a $100 Visa Gift Card and be sure to come back here each week, I'm doing a giveaway for the next 6 weeks.

Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.

2010-09-14T10:16:00.002-05:00

Kellogg's Love Your Cereal Mom's Breakfast Club- Week 6

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

It's Back to School time for many of us as summer draws to a close. However, we've been in school for about a month here, so we're sort of back in the swing of things. Though it's never easy, there are a few things I try to do to help get back in the school routine.

Every year I say I'm going to try to make the kids go to bed earlier at the end of the summer, so that the school routine won't be such a shock, but somehow it never works out that way. However, I hear it's a good thing to do.

I try to purchase and label all their school supplies in plenty of time before school starts so that we're not up and crazy the night before the first day.

I also force myself to get in the habit of getting(or remind people to do so) backpacks packed and lunches made the night before, because I always regret it when I don't. (Heh, right after I typed that, I realized I never put the drink money in my youngest's backpack tonight)

I also make an effort to do a "big" grocery shop in preparation for back to school so that we have what we need on hand for meals, especially breakfast, so we don't have to make late night runs to the store. We can never have too much cereal or waffles around these parts.

Cereal can be a convenient and affordable part of a balanced, nutritious breakfast. Want to know more? Check out Kellogg's Love Your Cereal.

The contest

Enter for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card (that would buy a lot of cereal)

To enter, leave a comment below and tell us how you get back in the school routine after a lazy summer.

Contest ends 5pm PST September 20, 2010.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive one (1)additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link to your tweet in the comments OR by blogging about the sweepstakes and leaving a link to your post in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US-Residents aged 18 and older
* Winner will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Official rules

Be sure to check out the BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page for 24 other chances to win a $100 Visa Gift Card and be sure to come back here each week, I'm doing a giveaway for the next 7 weeks.

Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.

2010-09-11T17:07:00.015-05:00

No Ordinary Family

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and ABC's No Ordinary Family.

What if your family had super powers? You'd be the talk of the neighborhood, that's for sure.

I've often thought of that since the popularity of the movie The Incredibles, as our family is the same configuration as theirs (Dad, Mom, Older daughter and son, young son).

In ABC's new sci-fi drama, (has sound) No Ordinary Family, the Powell family is stuck in a rut with one another. When they decide to go on vacation, each family member emerges from a plane crash with a super power: super speed, super strength, mental telepathy and super intelligence.

Though my family is already extraordinary, my kids are polite and kind, and my husband works hard and is a great father, it might be interesting to kick it up a notch.

If I had super speed like Stephanie Powell from the show, there's no telling what I'd be able to accomplish. I'd like to say I'd do something noble with that power, you know, work at 3 charities simultaneously, or something.

But, truth is?

That talent would probably be used to capacity just to keep up with the laundry and make dinner. Just think, I could fold clothes AND put them away! The kids could have dinner every night! Kidding. Mostly.

I suppose it might also come in handy for those days that all the kids have different activities in different places, I could get to each place on time. However, once word got out, everyone would be asking me to give their kids "rides", too, and I just know the extra weight would slow me down.

I wonder if super speed would qualify me for a 1 day work week?

What would you and your family do with super powers like the Powell's?

Be sure to catch the ABC Red Carpet Premier of No Ordinary Family on Tuesday, September 28, 2010!

Don't forget to check out the No Ordinary Family Facebook page for on-going updates, plus behind-the-scenes information, and visit the BlogHer.com special offers page to see what the other reviewers would do with their super powers!

2010-09-01T23:51:00.008-05:00

Weird Fitness Crazes - Win a $150 Visa Gift Card from The Laughing Cow

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and The Laughing Cow.

People do some strange things in their quests for health. From vibrating belts that "shake off fat", to the Thigh Master, it seems that people will try most anything to get fit.

I confess to having used a popular meal replacement shake when they first came out. I actually like them, so in the beginning, I did great. However, as time went on, the shakes became a tasty drink with my full meals.

Meal replacement: ur doin' it wrong.

I can't recall doing anything too weird in the exercise department, but I know people who are just a step away from the Shake Weight or the Ab Roller, as there may or may not be an As Seen on TV epidemic out there.

Wait, I did get a little out of hand with the exercise one time in high school. I biked really far one day, boy, was I going to be fit! I didn't, however, account for needing to get back to where I started, and I had to call my dad to come get me.

Have you tried any funny or crazy "miracle health solutions" in your quest for fitness?

Share a funny story (about a health craze or anything!)in the comment section, tweet or blog about this entry (be sure to leave a link to your efforts in the comments below), and you will be entered to win a $150 Visa gift card.

Two (2) valid entries per person, please.

Please keep your comments G-rated as any profanity or offensive content will automatically disqualify you from sweepstakes entry.

Don't forget to check out the The Laughing Cow Daily Laugh at BlogHer for more chances to win.

Sweepstakes ends 10/10/2010. Find out more from the official contest rules.

2010-08-30T23:45:00.005-05:00

Kellogg's Love Your Cereal Mom's Breakfast Club- Week 5

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

For all practical purposes, summer is over around here. The kids have been in school for several weeks now, and we're in the throes of the school-year routine.

We didn't really have the lazy days of summer this year for a couple of reasons. First, the oil spill prevented us from going on our usual beach trip. Also, our middle child started high school, and he took two summer courses (for new credit), and school lasted 18 days. Add all that to our daughter's volleyball training, and the youngest's sports camps, and it made for a very busy time.

But, this summer wasn't all a routine drag, I got to take the boys to Los Angeles, and it was their first plane trip, ever and we made a trip to St. Louis to visit with good friends.

One of the most memorable parts of that trip was a brunch our friends fixed for us on the 4th of July. It was a great time, and we all took the time to sit and relax and enjoy each other's company. Yes, there was cereal involved, as you're never too old to start the day off with it.

Cereal can be a convenient and affordable part of a balanced, nutritious breakfast. Want to know more? Check out Kellogg's Love Your Cereal.

The contest

Enter for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card (that would buy a lot of cereal)

To enter, leave a comment below and tell us a great memory about this summer.

Contest ends 5pm PST September 13, 2010.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive one (1)additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link to your tweet in the comments OR by blogging about the sweepstakes and leaving a link to your post in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US-Residents aged 18 and older
* Winner will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Official rules

Be sure to check out the BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page for 24 other chances to win a $100 Visa Gift Card and be sure to come back here each week, I'm doing a giveaway for the next 6 weeks.

Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.

2010-08-23T22:17:00.013-05:00

Kellogg's Love Your Cereal Mom's Breakfast Club- Week 4

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

I want to tell you that we always have time for a complete breakfast around here.

I want you to believe I get up and cook a hot breakfast in the cold of winter each morning before I lovingly send my family out into the world.

I also want a pony, but that's probably not going to happen, so you can imagine that my previous 2 statements may be a bit lacking in truthiness.

The fact is, I have 2 teenagers with variable eating habits, and an 8 year old that is like me, and really doesn't get hungry until the middle of the morning.

Combine that with us all needing to leave the house by 7am for three different places each weekday and a busy sports schedule on the weekends, some mornings we're lucky to have clothes on by the time we hit the door, much less a complete, sit-down breakfast.

On those in-a-hurry mornings, we are all about the cereal bars:

(Please note, this is my actual pantry, it was not specially stocked for this post, the Nutrigrain Bars are possibly the reason my children are still alive.)

The kids scoop them up and run when we're late, or have to be somewhere at the crack of dawn. I think Busy Dad even keeps a box of them in his car. They're also often my youngest kid's morning snack at school since he may or may not have eaten the breakfast he was served at home.

What's your go-to breakfast when you're in a hurry at home?

Cereal can be a convenient and affordable part of a balanced, nutritious breakfast. Want to know more? Check out Kellogg's Love Your Cereal.

The contest

Enter for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card (that would buy a lot of cereal)

To enter, leave a comment below and tell us about your favorite go-to breakfast when you're in a hurry.

Contest ends 5pm PST September 6, 2010.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive one (1)additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link to your tweet in the comments OR by blogging about the sweepstakes and leaving a link to your post in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US-Residents aged 18 and older
* Winner will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Official rules

Be sure to check out the BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page for 24 other chances to win a $100 Visa Gift Card and be sure to come back here each week, I'm doing a giveaway for the next 7 weeks.

Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.

2010-08-16T19:53:00.015-05:00

Kellogg's Love Your Cereal Mom's Breakfast Club- Week 3

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kellogg's.

I'm an only child, and I wasn't a big breakfast eater, so my mother didn't always buy the popular cereals simply because I didn't eat them fast enough. But, oh how I wanted the prizes in the box, and I especially liked Frosted Flakes and Rice Krispies.

Actually, when I did get cereal at home, I think I can recall her dumping it in a bowl so I could get the prize, and I'm willing to be I might not have been as interested in the cereal after that. I may be wrong, though.

I always enjoyed spending the night at my friends' houses and waking up on Saturday morning to cartoons, and a wide variety of cereal to choose from, and I learned about such delicacies as Corn Pops and Sugar Smacks.

Anyway, it was a grand day when I discovered that as an adult, I could buy any cereal I wanted, even if I didn't eat it fast enough. I still have a hard time passing up Rice Krispies, and I LOVE Special K:

I have 3 kids of my own, so we go through a lot of cereal, and Frosted Flakes and Corn Pops are big here, and I'm trying to pass along my love of Rice Krispies, but it has been translated into Cocoa Krispies for my kids.

Do you have any cereals that you enjoyed as a kid? Do you still eat them? Do your kids like the same ones?

Cereal can be a convenient and affordable part of a balanced, nutritious breakfast. Want to know more? Check out Kellogg's Love Your Cereal.

The contest

Enter for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card (that would buy a lot of cereal)

To enter, leave a comment below and tell us about your favorite breakfast cereal.

Contest ends 5pm PST August 30, 2010.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive one (1)additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link to your tweet in the comments OR by blogging about the sweepstakes and leaving a link to your post in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US-Residents aged 18 and older
* Winner will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Official rules

Be sure to check out the BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page for 24 other chances to win a $100 Visa Gift Card and be sure to come back here each week, I'm doing a giveaway for the next 8 weeks.

Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.

2010-08-16T18:50:00.005-05:00

Recent Winners

The Laughing Cow winner was jh289

The Ritz Crackerfuls winner was queenie001

The Week 1 Kellogg's Love Your Cereal winner was gmissycat.

Look for an e-mail from me.

Thanks to everyone for entering, and be sure to check out my other chances to win:

Enter for a chance to win another $150 Visa Gift Card from The Laughing Cow

Enter for a chance to win a $200 Visa Gift Card from Smucker's Kidvitations.

2010-08-11T23:47:00.011-05:00

Kellogg's Love Your Cereal Mom's Breakfast Club- Week 2

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kellogg's.

My kids are back in school, but, summer is still winding down for many of you. Since the weather is still warm (understatement!) and the days are still long, we're usually still able to continue a few summer activities around here. If everyone gets their homework done in a timely manner, one of our favorite things to do is go swimming in the evening, or at least play outside since it's still plenty warm enough:

With school being in session, our ability to travel is decreased, but we're always on the lookout for a short weekend getaway. Or, we make a point to bring the whole family when one of the kids has a sporting event out of town.

No matter the activity, it's important to us to have family time before the intense part of the school year starts. It's also important for your body to have the proper fuel to enjoy the time together.

Cereal can be a convenient and affordable part of a balanced, nutritious breakfast. Want to know more? Check out Kellogg's Love Your Cereal.

The contest

Enter for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card (that would buy a lot of cereal)

To enter, leave a comment below and tell us about a favorite family activity as summer draws to a close.

Contest ends 5pm PST August 23, 2010.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive one (1)additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link to your tweet in the comments OR by blogging about the sweepstakes and leaving a link to your post in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US-Residents aged 18 and older
* Winner will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Official rules

Be sure to check out the BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page for 24 other chances to win a $100 Visa Gift Card and be sure to come back here each week, I'm doing a giveaway for the next 10 weeks.

Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.

2010-08-11T23:10:00.011-05:00

Kellogg's Love Your Cereal Mom's Breakfast Club- Week 1

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

School has begun around these parts (I know!), and we're back to the regular morning routine. OK, we're trying to get back in the routine, you caught me.

We've all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and since all five of us need to be up and out of the house by 7:10 at the latest,a breakfast routine is important. We try to make breakfast quick and nutritious and provide variety, especially during the busy weekdays.

Since we have to keep to a pretty tight schedule, breakfast isn't elaborate. We always have several kinds of cereal, and frozen waffles are big around here, too. Occasionally, my daughter will have some sort of breakfast sandwich if she has to play volleyball in the morning.

While none of our breakfast fare is particularly gourmet, oddly enough, my kids can make all these things portable if they need to. My middle child has taken to eating cereal and milk in a sandwich bag (whatever?) if we are running late.

Not only is cereal convenient, it's affordable and can be a good part of a balanced, nutritious breakfast. Want to know more? Check out Kellogg's Love Your Cereal.

The contest

Enter for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card (that would buy a lot of cereal)

To enter, leave a comment below and tell us about your favorite breakfast food.

Contest ends 5pm PST August 16, 2010.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive one (1)additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link to your tweet in the comments OR by blogging about the sweepstakes and leaving a link to your post in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US-Residents aged 18 and older
* Winner will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Official rules

Be sure to check out the BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page for 24 other chances to win a $100 Visa Gift Card and be sure to come back here each week, I'm doing a giveaway for the next 12 weeks.

Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.

2010-08-02T20:21:00.010-05:00

Not-so smoothie - Win a $150 Visa Gift Card from The Laughing Cow

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and The Laughing Cow.

Adding healthy stuff like vegetable puree to kids' meals hoping it goes undetected, is a popular concept to get a little more nutrition in them.

I'm not very good at it.

The Internet is rife with people extolling the virtues of smoothies. More specifically, smoothies made supersonically healthy by putting spinach in them.

Spinach? Yeah, that's what I thought, too, but people swear you can't taste it.

I like to think I'm open to new things, and there's no doubt I need to eat more vegetables, so I thought, "Why not give it a try?" I mean, if it's good enough for the Internet, it's good enough for me.

Internet? You lied. My beloved strawberry-banana smoothies were green, slightly earthy and had stems.

What? You're supposed to use baby spinach? Take out stems? Use less? Uh...

So, I either need a new recipe, a new blender, or I just need to grow up.

Have you had any funny food mishaps in your quest to eat more healthfully?

Share a funny story in the comment section, tweet or blog about this entry (be sure to leave a link to your efforts in the comments below), and you will be entered to win a $150 Visa gift card.

Two (2) valid entries per person, please.

Please keep your comments G-rated as any profanity or offensive content will automatically disqualify you from sweepstakes entry.

Don't forget to check out the The Laughing Cow Daily Laugh at BlogHer for more chances to win.

Sweepstakes ends 9/12/2010. Find out more from the official contest rules.

2010-07-29T18:50:00.011-05:00

Smucker's Kidvitations

This is a sponsored post from BlogHer and Smuckers.

The school year is right around the corner for most of us, and summer's togetherness will soon be replaced by a potentially hectic new schedule. With early mornings, and late nights as they get older, there are times I feel like I haven't seen the kids all week.

When we need to reconnect a little, when I fix my kids' lunches, I sometimes put a note in with them as a surprise, just to let them know I'm thinking of them, and am tuned in to what's going on at school, e.g. "I love you, and good luck on your test!" My older ones fix their own lunches, and I will sometimes sneak a note in theirs as well. (As far as I know, they've not been beaten up for it.)

The nice folks at Smucker's have taken the lunchbox note a step further, and given the lunchbox note a little twist. Smucker's Kidvitations are a cute way to make a note for your child's lunchbox to let them know you're thinking of them, and are looking forward to doing something special with them later. Check them out!

The contest

Enter for a chance to win a $200 Visa Gift Card.

To enter, leave a comment below and share how you share a moment with your kids on a busy day

Contest ends 10pm CST August 25, 2010.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link to your tweet in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US-Residents aged 18 and older
* Winner will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Be sure to check the BlogHer.com Smuckers official rules

But, there's more!

Check out the BlogHer.com Smuckers roundup page for 9 other chances to win and an additional sweepstakes for a chance to win a $400 Visa Gift Card.

Create a Kidvitation!

Home can be a busy place with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. That’s why it’s important to set time aside to spend with your kids. Use Smuckers® Kidvitations to invite your kids to share a moment with you over a perfect PB&J.

2010-07-21T06:57:00.009-05:00

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and The Laughing Cow.

When fitness attacks

We've tried to help our kids stay active and be physically fit. They all play sports and enjoy outdoor activities, so I'm glad we don't have to fuss at them to get out there and do something.

My daughter plays a lot of volleyball.

I love that she is fit and gets lots of exercise, but I watch a lot of volleyball, and I do mean a lot.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love it, but after a while the games kind of start to look alike. My daughter is a setter, so she often does the same motions over and over again, and it can be a little hypnotizing, but every now and then something happens that breaks up the monotony a little.

A lot of play goes on right at the net, and there can be a lot of action with players hitting, blocking and setting, and it can be hard to tell what's going on when people get bunched up there.

It doesn't happen ofter since she is the setter, but, every now and then, my daughter gets to hit the ball over the net(as opposed to setting it). Hitting is actually a very complicated process that requires timing and strength not only to hit the ball hard, but to get up high enough to get the ball over the net.

One day, it kinda went wrong.

It was a very large, crowded tournament with courts and people as far as the eye could see. During one very intense, close game, my daughter's team was battling it out with another team to determine placement in a championship bracket.

Every point was being hotly contested and tempers were flaring. The play was at the net, and she had a great opportunity to get up there and kill the ball for the score.

She's got a great jump, but something went wrong on the ascent, the descent or something.

In one swift motion, she moved forward, hit the net and was clothes lined, cartoon style. Somehow, as she went down, she took a player on the other side of the net down with her, and they were left in a heap on the floor (no one was injured).

Play stopped, and it had gathered attention even from the neighboring courts. Everyone looked at the referee for a call because it was an important play.

After a few moments, the serious, very intense official says, "I have no idea what just happened. I have never seen anything like that, we're just going to start that one over."

Did fitness go wrong for you? Do tell, for a chance to win!

Share a funny story in the comment section, tweet or blog about this entry (be sure to leave a link to your efforts in the comments below), and you will be entered to win a $150 Visa gift card.

Two (2) valid entries per person, please.

Please keep your comments G-rated as any profanity or offensive content will automatically disqualify you from sweepstakes entry.

Sweepstakes dates are 7/21/10-8/15/10. Find out more from the official contest rules.

Also, be sure to visit The Daily Laugh hub at the BlogHer.com special offers page to read funny content each day and for a weekly chance to win a $100 Visa gift card at the “Play For Laughs” game, as well as to visit the 11 other Daily Laugh Curators who are also giving away $150 Visa gift cards each month.

If you share something really funny, we may even use it in The Daily Laugh!

2010-06-17T14:32:00.017-05:00

Ritz Crackerfuls $100 Visa Gift Card giveaway

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Ritz.

I work business hours each day, and my office is not really close to anywhere to eat, so, I have a pretty good walk ahead of me to find food when I'm hungry.

I do keep a few food items in my office because I tend to get hungry at weird times. Usually, those times are really inconvenient, too. My stomach goes off at 10:30 in the morning most days, and that is too late for breakfast most places, and too early for lunch.

Ritz Crackerfuls are individually wrapped cracker snacks. They are large, sort of like a "cracker sandwich", rather than the standard issue of 6 small crackers in a snack package.

They come in three flavors: Four Cheese, Classic Cheddar, Garlic Herb and Cheddar Cheese and Bacon. I was sent Four Cheese and Cheddar Cheese and Bacon for review. Now, I love cheese and I love Ritz Crackers, so I did like these a lot.

There's a lot of cheese, you can really taste it and it tastes like actual cheese and they are quite filling. They're also easy to take with you when you're on the go. With 6 grams of whole grain and real cheese, Ritz Crackerfuls can also be a better choice than some other common snack foods.

It's also nice for me to have something in the mid-afternoon to break up the day a little bit. I usually work by myself, so the time can drag a little, and I occasionally look forward to a break and something to tide me over until dinner.

The contest

Want to win a $100 Visa gift card? That would buy a bunch of Ritz Crackerfuls!

To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me what you enjoy doing to break up your day a little.

Contest ends 10pm CST July 31, 2010.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link to your tweet in the comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US-Residents aged 18 and older
* Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

See the official rules.

Also, you can save $1.00 on Ritz Crackerfuls filled crackers.

Don't forget, you have 16 other chances to win at BlogHer, check them out, too!

2010-05-26T11:51:00.003-05:00

My main site is Busy Mom Blog

I can't stand it that it won't list in my Google Profile under "my blogs".

2010-01-23T18:53:00.007-06:00

V8 V-Fusion $100 Visa Card Giveaway

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and V8.

OK, so I'm trying to be all healthy and even lose some weight this year, and I know for a fact that I don't eat enough vegetables. Call me what you will, I just don't get them in like I should.

I had the opportunity to try V8 V-Fusion, a 100% juice blend of vegetables and fruits. As a matter of fact, each 8 oz. glass has a full serving of fruit and a full serving of vegetables. (Some V8 V-Fusion facts, if you have any questions.)

"A blend of vegetables and fruits?! Are you serious?"

(I heard that, you know.)

Yes, I am serious.

I will be the first to tell you that I don't like vegetable juice, the texture weirds me right out. I know I should like it, I want to like it, but I just don't.

So, you can imagine why I was wary of the V8 V-Fusion, and I'm here to tell you, I love it. The kids love it, even the youngest, age 7.

Everyone in my family has their own favorite since it comes in Pomegranate Blueberry, Strawberry Banana, Peach Mango, Tropical Orange, and Açai Mixed Berry and the newest flavor is Cranberry Blackberry.

V8 V-Fusion makes great smoothies, too. Make them with a cup of yogurt of your choice, a cup of frozen fruit and a cup of V8 V-Fusion. You can even add when germ, flax seed or protein powder to them.

Try it out for yourself with a $1 off coupon for V8 V-Fusion.

The contest

Want to win a $100 Visa gift card? That would buy a bunch of V8 V-Fusion

To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me what is your, or your kids, favorite variety of V8 V-Fusion? If you haven't tried it yet, which one are you are most excited to try - or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below.

The contest is going on right now, and will end February 9, 2010. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US-Residents aged 18 and older
* Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
* Please see the official rules here: Official rules

Don't forget, you have 8 other chances to win at BlogHer.com

2010-01-22T12:14:00.027-06:00

DiGiorno 200 Calorie Pizza

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and DiGiorno.

Like many of you, this time of year, we are really on the run with our kids' activities, and we often get home late and are trying to figure out what to do about dinner. Also, like most kids, mine often crave pizza, but ordering out can be expensive and it can take a while, adding to an already late night.

Sometimes, we rely on frozen pizza, but the taste can vary, and there's leftovers that never quite get eaten. So, I was happy to get to try out DiGiorno 200 Calorie Pizzas since I like DiGiorno products and the idea of their "fresh-baked taste" in 200 calorie servings was appealing since I need to take off a bit of weight and my daughter is always looking for quick, healthy food since she is busy with sports.

I will say that I've never been fond of many frozen individual pizzas since the crust can be rather tasteless and the toppings somewhat unrecognizable, so I was a little wary.

However? These are good! Everyone in the family really liked them.

They come with 2 nice sized slices (2 portions, 200 cal. each) in a package, even my older kids thought it (2 slices) was enough food, almost too much. The crusts were soft, but not chewy, even the ones we cooked in the microwave, though I prefer them done in the oven.

The toppings were fresh and looked like actual vegetables and meat. There was also plenty of cheese, something I worried about with only 200 calories since I you know, like cheese a lot (see also: lose weight, need to) and the tomato sauce was plentiful and fresh-tasting.

DiGiorno 200 Calorie Pizzas come in 3 varieties: Cheese and Tomato, Pepperoni and Chicken and Peppers.

We'll be buying these again, and I think you should check them out, too if you are looking for a portion-controlled, convenient and tasty pizza option.

The contest:

Want to win a $200 Visa Gift Card? That sure would buy you a lot of DiGiorno 200 Calorie Pizzas!

To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me which kind of DiGiorno 200 Calorie Pizza you'd like to try.

The contest will begin at 1/25/2010 and will end 2/22/2010. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:

No duplicate comments.
You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link to your Tweet in a separate comment.
You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in a separate comment.
This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
Please see the official rules at BlogHer.com.

Don't forget to go to the BlogHer.com special offers page for 9 other chances to win and be sure to check out the DiGiorno Facebook fan page for more fun information!

Be sure to enter my other giveaways: Pillsbury Orange Sweet Rolls Prize Pack and Quaker Oats Create Your Day Kit!

(Also, come see me at Busymom.net!)

2009-12-07T19:47:00.012-06:00

Holiday Road Trip $200 Visa Gift Card Contest from Sprint

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Sprint

When my older kids were young, about 1 and 3 years old, we took a road trip to visit my father-in-law for the holidays. Even though the kids were young, we needed to make the 3 hour trip just for the day because he wasn't in the best of health.

The following story is true. It doesn't sound true, but believe you me, it is very, very true.

Things started out normally enough, we left the house and stopped a couple of miles from home to get some cash before we got on the Interstate. What happened next is kind of a blur, but somehow, as we drove away from the ATM, we ended with the car straddling a large curb in the middle of a very empty parking lot. We took the turn too wide or something.

To make matters worse, the curb was alongside a ditch which was alongside a busy street where pretty much everyone in the area was traveling back from church.

As we examined our car teetering on the curb and possibly entering the ditch, it became apparent to me that I needed to get the kids out of their seats. I worked the stroller out of the trunk and pushed the kids around the mall parking lot until the tow truck arrived and my husband simmered down.

After getting the car unstuck, we hit the road.

About an hour or so into the trip, I realized the one year old felt too warm. Way too warm and his ear hurt. We stopped at some exit in the middle of nowhere to try to find some ibuprofen or something and to get something to eat.

We went into the burger place for the older child to go to the bathroom, got some food, came back out and the car was gone. Much panic ensued until we realized we had come out a door opposite the side we entered. Yep, the car was safe and sound right where we left it.

A couple of very noisy hours later (raging ear infection, driving over a mountain) we were getting closer to my father-in-law's house. He and my brothers-in-law lived in a very rural area, and it was hard to remember exactly how to get there, so we called for directions.

My brother-in-law gave us some directions, but as he had a bit of "liquid cheer" on board those directions didn't quite work out and we actually ended up in another state. We called again, and he said he'd meet us at a restaurant and lead us back to the house. We found where the restaurant should have been, but apparently it had burned down.

Meanwhile, note we had been in the car for over four hours with a 3 year old and a screaming toddler with an ear infection after having had our car towed off a curb in an empty parking lot.

Somehow, we met up with my brother-in-law and he led us back to the house. The trip seemed to take forever winding up and down two lane roads deep into the country. When we finally arrived at the house, he told us he had taken the "scenic route" so we could "see the country".

As it was occupied by a bunch of bachelors out in the country, the house wasn't really fit for young kids. OK, I was afraid to put the crawling (and sick) kid on the floor, even. The kids' 12 year old cousin was there, so he took them outside for a little while. Somehow, the one year old (whose medicine had apparently kicked in), got into the dog's wading pool and we discovered that somewhere along the line, we had used the last clean set of clothes we had for him and were close to running out of diapers.

I don't remember exactly what we did about that, but we endured the rest of the day and, to my relief, it was finally time to go home. Night fell, we packed the car, said our goodbyes and got in the car.

The car wouldn't start.

Let me repeat that: the car Would. Not. Start.

My brother-in-law is very mechanically inclined, and I got worried when he couldn't get it going. There was no way in the world we could have spent the night there, so we tried to think of a plan.

The big city was about an hour away and we called a friend willing to host us, and my brother-in-law was going to drive us there and we could figure out the car later. But? He only had a pick up truck and we couldn't all fit into it. At this point, angels intervened or something because the car started after my brother-in-law tried "one more thing".

We couldn't get out of there fast enough.

About an hour into the drive, one of my husband's contact lenses (the ones he needs to, you know...SEE to drive) just fell out of his eye, never to be seen again. The sick kid was getting sicker, the three year old was being a three year old, so we needed to get off the road and regroup.

We decided to go to a McDonald's we knew was just up the road, since it was late on a Sunday night and very close to Christmas, we figured it would be open. When we got there? Not only was it closed, it had gone out of business and was boarded up tight. I mean, really? When was the last time you ran into an abandoned McDonald's?

We eventually regrouped and were in the home stretch of the trip when we rounded a curve on the Interstate and saw...a huge traffic jam.

Somehow, we made it home, the sick kid recovered with his hearing intact (debatable now, though since he is a teenager), and we're still married. But, now? Christmas happens at our house.

THE CONTEST

Enter to win a $200 Visa Gift Card.

To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me your funniest or most memorable holiday road trip - or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below.

The contest will begin at Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 9 am and will end Thursday, December 31, 2009 at 5:00 pm. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US Residents aged 18 and older
* Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
* Please see the official rules here: Official rules

Don't forget, you have 8 other chances to win! Visit the BlogHer.com special offers page - you've got 9 chances to win a $200 Visa Gift Card!.

Be sure to visit me at Busy Mom Blog!

2009-12-05T12:02:00.002-06:00

Winner of the $150 Spa Gift Card from Pepperidge Farm Petite Pirouette® and Petite Twists®

The winner of the $150 Spa Gift card is commenter #7, Mommy Daisy!

Look for an e-mail from me, and remember you have 48 hours to get back to me.

Thanks for playing, everyone!

2009-11-14T21:00:00.005-06:00

$100 Visa gift card and Febreze gift basket winner

The winner of the of the $100 Visa gift card and a Febreze gift basket is sherrypg!

Look for an email from me, Sherry and thanks everyone for playing!

Don't forget, there's still time to enter the $150 Spa Gift Card from Pepperidge Farm Petite Pirouette® and Petite Twists® contest!

2009-11-01T16:11:00.001-06:00

Win a $150 Spa Gift Card with Pepperidge Farm Petite Pirouette® and Petite Twists®!

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Pepperidge Farm.

During a busy day, it's important to take some time out for yourself, even if just for a moment. Often, a break involves a treat or a snack, but sometimes we find ourselves finishing up the kids' leftovers instead.

Why not indulge yourself with something a little more elegant?

We recently had the chance to try out two kinds of treats from Pepperidge Farm Petite Pirouette and Petite Twists.

Petite Pirouette wafers are delicate, crispy rolled wafers with creamy, chocolaty filling on the inside. Try either the chocolate hazelnut or chocolate crème flavor - or both! Three Petite Pirouette rolled wafers add up to 90 carefree calories! The chocolate crème ones in particular were a big hit around here.

Petite Twists puffed pastries have layers of delicate, crisp pastry swirled with sweet cinnamon or raspberry. A delightful treat with 90 calories in two treats! These are really good, too. They're crunchy (but not hard) and they're not too sweet. Both treats are great for a little indulgence and are fancy enough for guests as well. Try them as a garnish to ice cream or frozen yogurt.

The contest:

To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me if you had a day all to yourself, what would be your favorite way to spend it, or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below.

The contest will begin at 9:00 a.m. (PST) November 2, 2009 and will end 5:00 p.m. (PST) November 30, 2009. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:
* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US-residents, aged 18 and older
* Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
* Please see the official rules here: Official rules

Don't forget, you have 6 other chances to win, be sure to check out the BlogHer.com special offers page!

2009-09-20T19:53:00.017-05:00

Win a $100 Visa gift card and a Febreze gift basket

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Febreze NOTICEables

Old houses sometimes have smells of their own. I live in an old house, and yes, it's clean (OK, OK, it's clean a good bit of the time), but sometimes you can clean all day and your efforts just need a little extra boost to keep things smelling fresh. We've used Febreze for years, most notably to cover up a dead mouse in the wall smell (yes, really), so I was eager to try out Febreze NOTICEables.

Wait, now you think my house stinks, it doesn't really, it's just that when something smells, it smells. Know what I mean? OK, nevermind...

Anyway, Febreze NOTICEables are scented oil warmers that plug into any outlet and last for about 30 days. NOTICEables actually eliminate odors from the air. by alternating between two complementary scents all day. They come in quite a few scents pairs including special seasonal varieties (fall is out now), natural, fruity and fresh scents.

The kids got hold of my samples first (don't they always?) and put it together and put in the bathroom upstairs. We have a 2 story house and within a few minutes, you could smell it all over the house, even on the low setting. It's quite nice and there's already an improvement in the "old house" smell in that area. Notie, I resisted commenting on a "bathroom smell" (you're welcome), but if you're wondering, it works for that, too.

Want a chance to win some for yourself?

To enter for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card and a Febreze gift basket, leave me a comment below and tell me what is the most important thing you do to maintain a clean, fresh home - or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below.

The contest will begin at Sunday, September 27, 2009 and will end Tuesday, October 27, 2009. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older
* Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Link to the Random Number Generator: http://www.random.org/integers/

Don't forget to check out the rest of the BlogHer Reviews - you have 9 chances to win

Don't forget to visit me at Busy Mom Blog!

2009-09-20T19:42:00.002-05:00

Acer Inspire winner!

Thanks to all who entered the contest for the Acer Inspire laptop.

According to the handy dandy random number generator, the winner is commenter #301, Deb.

Look for an e-mail from me, and you have 48 hours to get back to me with your information!

Thanks for entering, and look for more contests, soon!

2009-08-05T00:00:00.022-05:00

Back to School with Acer Inspire and Intel

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Intel

It's hard to believe, but it's nearly back-to-school time. Where did the summer go? My high schooler goes back this Thursday. I love this time of year, and one of my absolute favorite things to do is to go shopping for school supplies.

When I was growing up, my mother and I always went to school registration with my friend and her mother, we'd go school supply shopping and then out to lunch. Years later, when we had our own kids, we continued this tradition. We started when our girls were in kindergarten, and we're still going. Though the enthusiasm for this shopping tradition is kind of lost on their brothers, we drag them along, too.

Even though my daughter is going to be a Sophomore, she still needs school supplies, it's just that they're a lot more expensive now. A laptop is one of those thing that I've had in my mind that she will need "someday", and well, someday is here. Her classes are going to be really difficult this year, and with 3 kids in school and their dad a teacher, there's no denying the fact that it's time to get another computer.

We've been looking around for a laptop, and I was thrilled for the opportunity to review this one. From the literature:

The (has sound) Aspire Timeline series was designed to strike the ideal balance between maximum battery life, performance and outstanding value – attributes that every mom is looking for a notebook for herself or her kids for the back-to-school season.

In order to maximize battery life while still delivering solid performance, the Aspire Timeline AS3810T features a high-chemistry 6-cell battery and the Intel Core 2 Duo processor SU9400, the new Ultra Low Voltage version of its Centrino 2 family.

The Acer Aspire Timeline AS3810T-6415 has been a great computer. It really is thin (about an inch) and light (under 4 pounds), perfect to take with you and solid enough to survive a workout at home. It has a beautiful, clear screen, was a breeze to set up and the brushed metal finish looks and feels great.

The battery really seems to last forever, or at least when compared to my laptop. It's advertised as an 8 hour life, but it is worth noting that there is no CD drive on it, just so you know.

You can find the rest of the specs on this ultra portable computer on the Acer website. At around $900, it's a great deal for back-to-school.

Want a chance to win an Acer Aspire Timeline AS3810T-6415 for yourself?

To enter, leave me a comment below and the best way you’ve seen computers enhance your child’s learning - or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin at 9:00 a.m. (PST) August 2nd, 2009 and will end 5:00 p.m. (PST) August 31, 2009. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on Twitter and leaving a separate comment with the link.
* You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US residents, aged 18 and over
* Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
* Please see the official rules here: Official Rules

Be sure to check out the other BlogHer Reviewers here - you've got 9 chances to win!

Also, be sure to come see me at Busy Mom Blog!

2009-07-29T20:28:00.009-05:00

Estée Lauder at BlogHer '09

I have never been able to resist the siren song of the blue and gold make-up containers of Estée Lauder, so I was excited to be given the opportunity to visit the counter in Chicago during BlogHer '09.

On Thursday, July 23, bloggers descended on the Estée Lauder counter at Macy's in Chicago's elegant Water Tower Place to check out new products. The staff welcomed us and were eager to show us what was going on the world of Estée Lauder and there was even the opportunity to sign up for a makeover to check out what they have to offer.

The Estée Lauder counter offers a variety of services including make-up and skin care consultation, product recommendations and samples to help you achieve the look you want. Don't forget about Estée Lauder fragrances and they also offer a 2-minute touch-up to help you learn how to get a new look.

We learned about the famous Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair. This anti-aging serum works at night to repair your skin to reduce the visible signs of aging and to provide continuous hydration. We received a 10 day sample, and I'm in the middle of checking it out, and I hope I'm on the way to looking 20. OK, OK, I at least I hope I'm on the way to better skin. Though it's a bit pricey, it's got a lot of technology and research behind it, and they are very excited about it, so it looks like it's worth giving it a try.

If you haven't been by the Estée Lauder counter in a while, do go check it out!

2009-07-29T15:18:00.004-05:00

The Wishbone winner!

The winner of the $100 Grocery Gift Card and a Wish-Bone prize pack is commenter number 21, Michelle!

Look for an e-mail from me and get back to me within 48 hours!

Congratulations and thanks for entering everyone!

2009-05-13T22:46:00.015-05:00

Wish-Bone Review and Giveaway

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Wish-Bone

“Delicious as a dressing, Remarkable as a Marinade” - Get More out of your Dressing.

I've been making a concerted effort to get dinner on the table and eat as a family lately, but this time of year is hard since we're gone a lot with sports practices and end of the school year activities. I need something I can fix without a lot of preparation time, but that isn't the same old thing each day.

Additionally, with the weather getting warmer (at least some days, anyway) it's time for some lighter fare and I learned about some great salad ideas from Wish-Bone.

When I was growing up, we had a salad at just about every dinner, and it was always in those wooden salad bowls. Wish-Bone was the only salad dressing I knew of, and as far as I knew there was Italian and French and we had it on lettuce, carrots and radishes when they were in season. I wasn't until later I found out about "exotic" flavors such as Thousand Island and Russian, but those went on lettuce, too.

Now, there's so many great Wish-Bone Dressing products and so much more you can create and use it for such as marinades, sandwiches and lots of different salads beyond just lettuce. As a matter of fact, each Wish-Bone Salad Dressing bottle comes with a recipe right on it.

I received a variety of Wish-Bone products and we (OK, OK, Busy Girl did it)

made (there's a reason I'm not a food stylist) Mandarin Chicken Salad:

Creamy Red Potato Salad:

Easy Mediterranean Pasta Salad:

They all turned out great!

The Mandarin Chicken Salad has an unexpected combination of ranch dressing and orange marmalade, and it really works for the salad. It wasn't as big of a kid favorite as the other two recipes, but the adults loved it.

Potato Salad is it's own food group here in the South, and the Creamy Red Potato Salad did not disappoint, the whole family gave it a thumb's up. It has simple ingredients and didn't take long to prepare. I will probably add a little more mustard to it next time, but it won't be in the fridge for long!

The Easy Mediterranean Pasta Salad is Busy Girl's personal favorite and the rest of us aren't allowed in it. However, I did sneak some, it's great and hearty enough for a meal. There's not a carbohydrate that is safe from my 12 year old son, so I venture a guess that it won't be around long, either.

THE CONTEST!

Enter for a chance to win a $100 Grocery Gift Card and a Wish-Bone prize pack (valued $46.10).

Wish-Bone can do more than just dress up your salad, what's your favorite way to use Wish-Bone dressing? (Will you cook it for me?)

To enter, leave me a comment below telling us about how you use Wish-Bone Salad Dressing - or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin at May 18, 2009, 9:00 a.m. PST and will end June 30, 2009, 5:00 p.m. PST. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US residents; 18 and over
* Winners will be selected via random draw using a random number generator, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
* Please see the official rules here: http://www.blogher.com/wish-bone-official-sweepstakes-rules

Check out the other BlogHer Reviewer's Wish-Bone recipes successes and enter for an additional chance to win a $100 Grocery Gift Card and Wish-Bone prize back at the BlogHer Special Offers Page.

Upgrade your salads with Wish-Bone® Dressings. Visit the Wish-Bone site for great recipe ideas for your family.

*************

Please come visit me at Busy Mom Blog!

2009-03-12T22:47:00.000-05:00

Norton Online Family iPod Touch winner

According to the random number generator, the winner of the Norton Family Online and BlogHer iPod Touch giveaway is

Comment #73 Tamra, of Start Enjoying Life!

Congratulations, Tamra and look for an email from me!

A sincere thanks to everyone who read and entered.

2009-02-23T14:14:00.000-06:00

Norton Online Family Review and Giveaway

My kids are, for the most part, free to use the Internet, and they are very well versed in Internet Safety. While I'm not one to subscribe to the "Internet as Bogeyman" theory, I do want to know what they are doing online. Very simply, I want a thorough and convenient way to make sure they are behaving appropriately online (even after they learn to delete their history).

The good folks at Symantec, known for their online security products have just introduced Norton Online Family.

Norton Online Family is a suite of controls that lets parents monitor their kids' computer usage. It's more than just a key stroke recorder or a blacklist, it's an entire suite of parental controls to oversee kids' Internet usage.

The first thing you need to know though, is that you need to have a separate user accounts for each child who will be monitored. I don't speak Apple, but if you need to know more about it in Windows, here are the XP instructions and for instructions for Vista.

Once you've got that done, it's simple to proceed. and the interface is quite user-friendly (I'm a sucker for a little black dog). :

1. Create your Norton Online Family Account A simple registration lets you create a login and add family members. If applicable, be sure to "Add Another Parent" so that both parents can access the account.

2. Next, you install the Norton Safety Minder on each computer the child will be using. Safety Minder provides the real-time reports on the Internet activities of each of your children.

From there you can set up "house rules" and profiles for each family member. You can have different monitoring levels for each child which is important to me as the mother of a high schooler, a middle schooler AND a 1st grader.

The holder of each monitored account is informed that they are being monitored and they can easily access the "rules" by clicking the icon in the system tray.

One handy feature is that you can view a child' activity by logging into any computer. You can adjust the "notify" settings to e-mail or text you when certain events on the computer occur.

With Norton Online Family you can:

* View the Web sites that each child has visited.
* Block a Web site that you think is inappropriate for your child.
* Monitor all the Internet searches that your child performs with most search engines.
* Monitor the time that each child spends on the Internet.
* View all the social networking sites that the child has visited.
* View all the instant messages that your child sends and receives.
* Block the personal information that the child attempts to send.

If you're just not sure that you're doing it right, or you need some help, there's a great help center.

The reports are easy to understand and it's quite flexible and simple to adapt to meet your monitoring needs.

And now the fun part!

To help get the word out about Norton Online Family, Norton along with BlogHer are giving away 10 Ipod Touches!

To enter to win of them here, please leave me a comment below, telling me how you stay in the loop with your kids and whether this new software will help you.

You may leave a link to your post or twitter message about this contest in the comments for an additional entry.

The contest will begin at 12:00 a.m. (PST) on Monday, February 23, 2009 and will end Monday, March 9, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. (PST). Make sure your email address is valid!

Rules:

* No duplicate comments
* This giveaway is open to U.S. residents
* Winners will be selected by random draw (using a random number generator) and will be notified by email.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
* See the official rules for details: Official Rules

Good luck and be sure to visit me at Busy Mom Blog!

2007-05-17T09:39:00.000-05:00

Come visit me at Busymom.net!

2006-04-21T10:30:00.000-05:00

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