Marriott’s “Nickelodeon Your Stay”

All of our vacations in the first 5 and a half years of our son's life have been to beach condominiums. Essentially, it's like being at home-someone else's home. So when we got to our vacation this past December to see the famous Mouse and friends, our son walked into the hotel room (a pirate room, but still…), took one look around at the one room hotel and asked, "Where's the rest of it?" and walked into the bathroom expecting it to be a hallway to the other rooms.

And while this room was cool, he still felt uncomfortable. That's why l love Marriott's new "Nickelodeon Your Stay" campaign. At nearly 2,000 Marriott hotels, kids are given a cool Nickelodeon bracelet and a code for free online games a Nick.com as well as an activity mat. Plus, if you eat at one of the hotel restaurants, kids get a special place mat with one of their favorite characters. So, kids feel important and comfortable and most importantly at home.

For a small fee, you can upgrade the package to include all of the above and a storybook and either a SpongeBob or Dora the Explorer pillowcase. My kiddo got a Spongebob pillowcase and I can tell you, he loved it and I know it would make him feel a lot more comfortable at a hotel.

Check out the website for more information as well as some freebies-coloring pages, a travel journal, and travel bingo pages. Kudos to Marriott for this great idea to make kids feel a lot more included in their hotel stay.

TKDDaughter gives Marriott's Nickelodeon's Stay Your Way a:

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Marriott and received a Nickelodeon gift pack to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central also sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Posted by TKDDaughter on August 2, 2010 in Freebies, General Information, Services, Travel | Leave a Comment

July 23, 2010

Eggo Real Fruit Pizza

In college, after a night out, there was nothing like cold pizza for breakfast. Mind you, my college cuisine tastes consisted of cold Life cereal and hamburgers, but still I can remember how satisfying the day-after pizza tasted! Nowadays, the thought of pizza for breakfast sickens me. Cold pizza in general gags me a bit. Yet, here I am blogging about breakfast pizza…

Only, there's nothing "day after" about this pizza. Eggo is introducing it's line of breakfast pizza. When I received the package of two pizzas, Strawberry Granola and Mixed Berry Granola, my husband and I had a veritable "Leggo my eggo!" moment in the kitchen. I made sure to get up early the next morning so I could pick which one I would try first (Mixed Berry). In just a minute, the pizza was ready. It was fragrant and warm, the crust was a tad crispy, just the way I like it. It was a nice size serving, although probably more than I am used to eating at breakfast, but it was warm and comforting and a great way to start the day. It was higher in calories than I normally consume at breakfast, but if you follow the "breakfast is the biggest meal of the day" theory, then you'll be able to have this and something else.

Overall, we loved these pizzas. It'll be a great addition to our breakfast routine as I go back to work full-time and the hubby has to get the kiddo off to kindergarten. Just be sure to hide it int he back of the freezer if you don't want to have your own "Leggo My eggo!!!" moment.

TKDDaughter gives the new Eggo Real Fruit Pizzas a:

"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Centralon behalf of Eggo Real Fruit Pizza and received a sample of the product and a $20 Amazon gift certificate to facilitate my review.”

Posted by TKDDaughter on July 23, 2010 in Food and Drink | Leave a Comment

July 22, 2010

Breyer’s Smooth and Dreamy Bars

I'm not going to lie to you, readers…I am not a big fan of ice cream. Let me give you a moment to digest this…are you ready? Okay, moving on. Everyone in my family loves it, but while I enjoy it on occasion, I don't need it every time we have a birthday cake and I often don't buy a cone when everyone else does. Crazy, eh?

Well, that kind of changed this week. I was introduced to Breyers Smooth and Dreamy bars, and while I know they'd like to read some original writing, I have to tell you that these bars are just simply smooth and dreamy! They boast being lower than 160 calories, which is fabulous (and helps if you want a treat while dieting), but I could have eaten the entire box in one sitting! We had the Triple Chocolate Chips one that actually had a bit of fudge in the middle-OH MY! They are amazing! We finished the box off in two days and on my shopping list for next time is the Chocolate Covered Strawberry ones-yum!

What's even better is this: I am GIVING AWAY FIVE COUPONS FOR A FREE BOX OF these fabulous bars!!! In the comment section, please leave your favorite ice cream memory for a chance to win one of these five coupons!! Leave your comment by Wednesday, July 28th at midnight, eastern time.

Even if you don't win the coupon, go buy these now! They are a summer must-have!!!

TKDDaughter gives Breyer's Smooth and Dreamy Bars a:

"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Breyers and received products necessary to facilitate my review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate."

Posted by TKDDaughter on July 22, 2010 in Food and Drink, Freebies, Giveaways | 1 Comment

July 16, 2010

UnderWAY and Smart for Life

We went to a friend’s house tonight for dinner. It had been awhile since we had seen them and I was surprised at how great she looked. With three kids, 6 and under, I was amazed that she could lose weight and get fit! I myself haven’t been feeling the greatest about my appearance. Standing at a nice, willowy 5’9”, people always refer to me a thin. But I realized today that in the past 10 years, I put on 40+ lbs. I have gone up far too many sizes and despise the fat stomach, flabby arms, and large butt. No matter my excuses (years of fertility meds, three pregnancies in a year and a half (with no baby to show for it), eating poorly, not exercising…), changes needed to be made and soon.

Around this time, I received a package to review from UnderWAY and Smart for Life. The brochure said, “Lose up to 15 lbs in 4 weeks eating healthy, all natural Smart Foods.” I was intrigued. By following the program, eating and drinking the hunger busting foods and a smart dinner, you could lose weight without the normal hunger pains. I was skeptical…my husband was not. He’s a meal supplement kind of guy. So, we both gave it a try for a day (using the samples provided). I have to say I was surprised…the food was good. You must eat their cookies (yes, you read that correctly) 6 times a day. This keeps you from getting either ravenous or too full. Their drinks, underWAY, taste great! They come in three flavors and contain HeroFiber, whose name makes me giggle and imagine a drink bottle in superhero clothing. J And since I am a no caffeine girl, I love that it’s a decaf choice. The hubby is in love with the food and has claimed the rest of the box for himself. (It’s my review,so we’ll see about that!)

My only issue with the whole program is the no fruit requirement. They address this in the brochure and I understand the necessity of it (all that natural sugar!!), but I love fruits and just about the only time we get fresh, ripe fruits in Western PA is right now, in the summer. So, if I’m going to follow this program to the letter, it won’t be until fall when the fruit pickings are slim.

The cookies and drinks certainly did keep me from being hungry. It reminded me to make better choices at the dinner meal, too. So, those 40 lbs I’m looking to lose? I think between this and getting my butt off the couch, I’ve found a way to get my body back. And I get to eat cookies-how cool is that?! RIght now you can get a speical 10% discount code for underWAY and Smart for Life products. PLease use MCUS10OFFUW for underWAY products at www.underWAY.com and MCUS10OFFSFL at www.smartforlife.com.

TKDDaughter and her hubby give underWAY and Smart for Life a:

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of underWAY and Smart for Life and received samples of the products to review.

Posted by TKDDaughter on July 16, 2010 in Fitness, Food and Drink, Health | Leave a Comment

July 14, 2010

e.p.t. “the moment you knew”

For most women, seeing the positive pregnancy test is a moment they will never forget. It is a moment filled with joy, and hope, and dreams fulfilled. For me, it was different. You see, I suffer from infertility…and while I have one child, I never had the "pee on a stick/positive test" experience. When you suffer from infertility, your cycles are closely monitored and a blood test reveals your pregnancy far earlier than a home pregnancy test. I found out I was pregnant from a nurse, not a pee stick.

Even after this successful pregnancy, I continued to suffer from infertility and could not get pregnant. I resented those who had that "pee on a stick" moment…I imagined peeing on said stick, running down the stairs to my husband, crying and laughing and hugging. I played the moment out in vivid detail in my head, over and over and over again. None of our treatments worked and so our infertility journey ended and a life as a family of three began.

And yet, three years later, being ridiculously in tune with my body from the years of closely monitored cycles, I realized I was one day late. Just one…for most women, they wouldn't even realize, but I did and I tested. And there it was, my moment. My very own pee on a stick moment. I was mesmerized by the test stick announcing a positive. I waited until my husband came home from work and carefully showed it to him. We were filled with hope, but terrified-it had been a long time in coming and now that we had arrived, it was scary. Unfortunately, three days later, I lost the baby. In anger, I threw the stick away and after I recovered a bit, I felt sad that the one physical reminder I had of my baby was gone.

e.p.t. acknowledges what a big moment this is for a family and has launched a campaign to provide mothers with a keepsake case so that you can always look back at the day you found out you were pregnant. You can check out the info here.

And while my story isn't the joyous experience of others, I appreciate having the keepsake case to remind me of the babies I have lost. I am grateful for the "pee on a stick" moment of my own. (And if you wondering, yes, I did keep the test stick from my most recent pregnancy and loss…and while it hurts, I am so glad the have the sticks to remind me and comfort me.)

Thanks, e.p.t. for providing women a way to remember that special moment for families. TKDDaughter gives this a:

"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Centralon behalf of e.p.t and received an e.p.t. keepsake case and a $20 gift card to JustGive.org to facilitate my review.”

Posted by TKDDaughter on July 14, 2010 in General Information, Health | 1 Comment

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