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September 21, 2010
Totino’s Pizza Products and School Giveaway
This is a sponsored review from My Blog Spark and General Mills.
If you have kids like my kids, when they walk in the door, their very first stop is the kitchen. Sometimes I feel as if I spend my entire life in the kitchen, either preparing, serving or cleaning up from multiple meals and snacks each day. Totino's can help change how much time you spend in the kitchen, with their wonderful Party Pizza and Pizza Roll Snacks.
A great after school snack, my daughters and I found the Totino's Party Pizza to be delicious with a nice crispy crust. Many prepared pizzas have soft crust or doesn't cook evenly, but Totino's delivered a great snack pizza, straight from the oven, in less than 15 minutes. If I had to pick a negative about this pizza, it would be its size. I'd like to see the pizzas come in larger sizes that would more easily accommodate three (always) very hungry kids.
Totino's Pizza Rolls are also a nice after school snack that can take the place of less healthy options. Loaded with pizza sauce, flavorful oregano and cheese, Totino's Pizza rolls make a simple, yet yummy and healthy after school snack sure to please even the pickiest of little snackers. Note to Moms: be sure to set your time for the lowest time first so as not to explode your pizza rolls all over the place. Yes, I learned this the hard way.
You can also feel good about purchasing Totino's products because they participate in the Box Tops program. Box tops earn money for your child's school so there's even more reason to put them on your grocery list.
If you would like to win this prize pack, provided by My Blog Spark and General Mills, simply answer the following question:
What are your essential "school ingredients" for starting the new school year off right?
The contest ends on September 29th. One randomly chosen winner will receive a backpack, a pack of hi-lighters, a floppy calculator, a brand new binder, two mega glue sticks, some bonus Box Tops and coupons to give Totino's a try!
Good luck!
BBM gives Totino's products. . .
August 23, 2010
Shady Day Sunscreen Wipes
My husband has a degree in chemistry and for the LONGEST time, I've been begging him to invent and create an SPF pill. After years of slathering goopy lotions on my kids at the pool and beach, it would be a fantastic improvement.
And then these Shady Day Sunscreen wipes arrived in my mailbox (thank to Mom Central). I'll admit it. They seemed entirely too good to be true. I figured they would either stink or be greasy and nasty, OR worse yet, they wouldn't work.
So, I threw them in my beach bag and we took them to the beach with us. When I pulled the first wipe out I was pleasantly surprised. I am frequently turned off by smelly lotions and products, but the fragrance on these was light and nice. The wipe itself was soft. I used it on both of my girls and on myself. One wipe covered my 4-year old's entire body.They are absolutely genius for the face. Say goodbye to sunscreen in eyes and gooped up in the hair.
I passed a couple wipes off to our hosts for the weekend at the beach and they liked them too. The feeling on the skin after gently moving the wipe over the skin was smooth and silky, not slippery or greasy.
I figured if they smelled this good and felt this awesome, they couldn't possibly work that well.
But they did! No one who used a wipe got even a spot of sunburn the entire weekend at the beach. The wipes were large enough that they really lasted and the time it took to use the wipes was next to nothing compared to the time it takes to lotion up every part of the body with SPF goodness. Another benefit of using these wipes is that they feel kind of cool, but in a good way. It's not like that brutal first squirt of sunscreen lotion that usually gives you a chill right down to your toes.
This is one product that I am totally psyched about! They're not cheap (about $14 for one pack of 15), but they are worth every penny (in my tired of slathering kids opinion).
BBM gives the Shady Day Sunscreen Wipes a . . .
This review is sponsored content from Shady Day and Mom Central. A product sample was provided.
August 17, 2010
Paper Mate Plant-a-Pen
Today, class, we are going to plant our pens…Can you imagine the expression on the students' faces if I said that? And yet, I could do a lesson where we write with our new pens and then turn the pens over to our science teacher and she could do a lesson on helping our environment. Confused?
Paper Mate has come out with a line of biodegradable pens and pencils! I love this idea on so many levels. First, by using a biodegradable pen, I am lessening my carbon footprint and with the amount of pens I go through in a year, this could make a huge environmental impact! Second, I love the way Paper Mate products write-this one is no different. The movement is fluid with no glumps. Third, it's a great "teachable moment" for me to share with my son. To be able to explain the impact our actions have on this earth and the opportunity to avoid that is invaluable! Finally, and the least important, I love the way they look and feel.
We planted ours in my herb garden. We plan on checking on it for the next year to see what happening in the dirt. How exciting for my son to see this progression and get to play in the dirt!
TKDDaughter gives Paper Mate Plant a Pen a:
"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Paper Mate and received the products necessary to facilitate my review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate."
August 11, 2010
What Matters to You: One-a-Day and Wellness
This is sponsored content from BlogHer and Bayer One A Day Multivitamins.
When it comes to the core components of life (relationships, family, money, nutrition, health), what matters to you most? It's a difficult question to answer because money doesn't mean much if you don't have health. Many of these components work within each other. But when I think about what matters the most to me, even when I haven't been my healthiest (three years of knee problems will sort of make you feel unhealthy), it's the relationships in my life that have carried me through the rough times.
After losing my cat at Christmas (had to put him to sleep on Christmas night-imagine telling your kids that when you walk in the door from the vet), and then losing my grandmother over the course of three hospital stays and finally a massive stroke that resulted in us moving her to hospice care, and then finding out I needed to have a third knee surgery, it's hard to feel positive about anything.
But then it hit me, that although these past months have been unbelievably challenging ones for me, although I've often thought "Why me? Why all of this now?" on more than one occasion, I realized I most certainly did have reason to feel thankful for certain things and people in my life.
First and foremost, these past months taught me that my neighbors are not merely neighbors; they are friends, dear friends. The people on my street and in my community rallied around me, bringing prepared meals and heartfelt wishes for personal peace, so much so that it was a bit overwhelming. My karate friends, some who hadn't seen me in months, showed up and offered me emotional support even though I haven't been able to attend class. I am so very thankful for the friends that I have in my life, those near and those far away, who are always able to make me feel better whether it's a personal visit or a phone call. I am so very blessed with an amazing support structure of wonderful people. Relationships, meaningful ones, can make all the difference in your life.
When you're not feeling at your best mentally, and when you're having trouble digging yourself out of the doldrums, having a good support system is key to getting yourself back on track. Speaking of getting yourself on track, there is an interesting little tool that you can use to help you keep track of and continue to work on your own wellness goals. "What matters to you" is a great website, sponsored by One a Day Women's Multivitamins, where one can navigate around a relaxing website and focus in on your own personal goals. Whether you find your goals and a healthy lifestyle by using this site or not, the pictures and the ease of navigation alone will delight your senses and relax you.
And here's another thing that can delight and relax you. . . winning $150. For your chance to win the $150 giveaway from BlogHer, please answer the following question in the comments below:
What matters to you more?
For another five chances to win $150 from BlogHer, make sure you visit this page so you can check out all of these sponsored posts and up your chances at winning. There's also an additional chance to win a $100 Visa card on the main page! Winner will be chosen one month from today!
August 10, 2010
Nature Made SAM-e
It seems as mothers we are constantly pulled in a million different directions. It's no wonder that we feel stressed and moody! Add to that the natural aging process where our bodies stop making Sam-e, a natural occurring compound that works to balance our moods and you have for a very crabby mommy.
Years ago, a friend of mine confided in me that she was taking an anti-depressant/anxiety medication. She told me simply, "It makes me a better mommy and wife." SOLD! However, I don't feel I need something that strong. I now have an option. Nature Made has created SAM-e Complete, a natural way to restore your mood. Taken daily, it can restore your mood in as little as 7-14 days! An added benefit is that it also helps improve joint health.
I love that there is a natural alternative to our normal SAM-e deficiency as we age. Just to show you how great the product is, one reader will win a three month supply of Nature Made SAM-e as well as a water bottle and a journal. Just leave a comment on how you think you would benefit from SAM-e by midnight EST on August 16th for a chance to win!
Nature Made SAM-e Complete recently launched a new program called “Give a Smile” . They are working with Dream Factory, the second largest children’s wish-granting organization in the U.S., to grant the wishes of three children suffering from a critical or chronic illness. Through this campaign SAM-e will donate to a child’s wish for every social action you (like uploading an image to their mosaic). The more actions, the more SAM-e will donate. What a great way to make everyone's moods healthier!!
All around a great product and a great company! TKDDaughter gives Nature Made SAM-e a:
“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Nature Made and received products necessary to facilitate my candid review.”
Getting Rave Reviews
BlogHer Review
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