On a recent trip to Bentonville with the Walmart Moms, I was able to film a quick holiday entertaining video featuring products you can purchase at Walmart. I had never done this kind of filming before, but I think it turned out quite well! Learn about the recipe I chose (it is literally a 10-minute recipe), and how you can whip up something tasty and festive for your guests, as well!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Quick Holiday Snack Idea Video: Spinach and Artichoke Dip in a Bread Bowl
Kraft Blogger Bytes Conference (Giveaway)
October was a whirlwind travel month for me. I went through Chicago twice this month, the last time for the Kraft Blogger Bytes conference -- a get-together for several bloggers at the Kraft Development Kitchen in Skokie, IL. In addition to connecting with some FABULOUS bloggers, most of whom I had never met before, I learned about new Kraft products, sampled some delicious recipes, and even competed in our own version of Chopped, with a recipe challenge competition.
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| Our Parfaits didn't win, but they were delish! |
I also learned some savvy blogging skills to take my blog to the next level, which is where this branded event really stood out from others I attended.
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| Learning about video blogging! |
Some other highlights included:
Knife skills lesson from Chef Harry Crane
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| Careful with that knife, Chef! |
A ride in the Weinermobile....
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| Kickin' it in the Weinermobile |
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| A Rainy Ride |
And when I got home, there was a GIANT box of goodies there soon after. I'll be doing another blog posts on the products that I love the most from the box (complete reviews, with photos), but in the meantime, I get to give one lucky reader an identical box of goodies!
Wanna Win? The goodie box prize includes:
- Chips Ahoy! Chewy Gooey fudge-filled cookies
- Ritz Bits Kickin’ Cheddar sandwich crackers
- Snackwell’s Fudge-drizzled Caramel Popcorn
- Wheat Thins Smokey BBQ snacks
- Wheat Thins Sweet Cinnamon snacks
- Velveeta Cheesy Skillets Dinner Kit
- Kraft Sizzling Salads Chicken Ceasar Dinner Kit
- Planter’s Peanut Butter Creamy and Crunchy flavors
- Jell-O Halloween Brain Mold
- Jell-O Jigglers Halloween Mold
- Jell-O Jigglers Holiday Mold
- Assorted flavors of Jell-O gelatin dessert and Jell-O instant pudding (including the new Candy Cane and Gingerbread pudding flavors)
- Jell-O Halloween Recipe Booklet
- Jell-O Holiday “Treat Explosion” Recipe Booklet
- Holiday Jell-O Jigglers Recipe
- Jell-O Jiggle-it App Download
- Crystal Light mocktail drink mixes
- Kool-Aid Scary Blackberry Ghoul-Aid drink mix
- Coupon for one (1) package of any Oscar Mayer Selects Hot dogs
- Coupon for one (1) package of any Oscar Mayer Carving Board Meats
- Kraft Foods Food & Family Holiday 2011 Magazine
- 20th Anniversary edition Halloween Oreo Cookies
BONUS ENTRY: Follow us on Twitter to get (1) additional entry. (New and existing followers just leave a comment, please.)
*I was invited to participate in a behind-the-scenes blogger conference with the Kraft Kitchens, for which Kraft provided full travel expenses, meals and accommodations and product samples, coupons and premiums, however my opinions are completely my own and I have not been compensated to publish positive or negative reviews of the event or products associated with my experience.
Sam's Club Has Yoplait!
If you find yourself running to the store several times a month (or even a week) to get more yogurt, I highly suggest checking out Sam's Club's selection of Yoplait yogurt the next time you shop. One purchase can stock you fridge for weeks!
Check out Sam's Club on Facebook and Twitter, as well as Yoplait's Facebook and Twitter updates!
*A Sam’s Club gift card and information have been provided by Sam’s Club and Yoplait through MyBlogSpark.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Our Transformers "Brinner" Party
Have you ever had "brinner" at your house (breakfast for dinner?) We love this meal idea, and it also makes a super party treat. When we needed to do something special but affordable for a group birthday at our house, we chose pancakes for supper!
We also headed to Walmart to check out their selection of party supplies. I was under the impression that the selection would be either too expensive or very limited. I was wrong on both counts. We found lots of licensed options for our party; I wanted Phineas and Ferb, but my 4-year-old talked me into Transformers. (It think it was because of the Optimus Prime masks and hats, actually.)
We also found a nice selection of items for the VERY budget conscious. There were entire decor kits for just $4 which were generic enough for any age of birthday guest.
We took our hats, plates, napkins, tablecloth, decorations, masks, and party favors home to enjoy with pancakes, sausage, and, of course, ice cream! We had a great time, and it all cost less than $25 for our family of 7 to enjoy a very special birthday.
If you aren't super-creative and need a ready-to-go assortment of products for your next party, you'll likely find it in-store. They also have portable balloon helium tanks, piñatas, and cake and cupcake decorating products.
Here is a video recap of our fun (note that the baby got a bit cranky at the end.)
Enter the ACTIVE NATURALS® Inspiring Mom Contest! (Giveaway)
Do you know a Mom who is truly inspiring? Now is the chance to tell the world how wonderful she is, and you could help her win a fantastic prize!
Tell us (in 500 words or less) about an ACTIVE NATURALS® Mom you know and love, nominate her in the ACTIVE NATURALS® Inspiring Mom Contest. She could win a trip to California to meet our celebrity judges & have $5,000 donated to Baby Buggy® in her name.This community-minded promotion is going on now through November 30th, so you have plenty of time to think about who represents positivity and kindness and nominate them! This is the perfect opportunity to let someone you admire know the impact they make on your life every day. (And we love that there is a charity component to this promotion. Baby Buggy, the benefiting charity, was started by Jessica Seinfeld and works to distribute new and gently used cribs, strollers, clothing, and bottles, all of which are vetted for safety. Over 5 million items have been donated so far!)
Enter your friend today! Or considering making your next AVEENO product purchase at Diapers.com, where a product will be donated to Baby Buggy (up to 100,000.)
Wanna win? We are giving 2 lucky readers the opportunity to win something for themselves, as well. To be entered to win, simply tell us which AVEENO prize package you want to win: Assortment Baby Eczema Products or the Baby Essentials Basket, as well as who you would nominate as the most Inspiring Mom!
You have until November 10th at 11:59pm CST to get your entries in. One entry per person, please. (Don't forget to enter our other blog giveaways while you're here!)
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Proud to Support Pink Giveaway!
Have you had Freschetta pizza lately? In addition to having some of the most amazing crust of any frozen pizza I've tried, they have some awesome flavor combos. (I'm partial to the Brick Oven Spinach & Mushroom.)
I'm very excited, as well, about the Simply Inspired varieties, which feature some amazing ingredients -- like the Farmers Market Veggies, which boasts mounds of marinated and roasted portabella mushrooms, rough cut tomatoes, roasted red onion and zucchini.
Their pizzas aren't the only thing that I've been excited about this month, however. As a partner to help in the fight against breast cancer, they are joining with consumers to be Proud to Support Pink! Here's how it works:
When you purchase specially-marked FRESCHETTA® products, you’re helping us all reach our goal of donating $50,000 to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Enter your code at proudtosupportpink.com to get them $1 closer to finding a cure.You only have until October 31st to take part in this project, but there is another added incentive to get involved. 50 pink iPod Shuffles will be given away on the site this week to lucky winners, as well as 50 to four cancer centers around America for cancer patients to enjoy!
We have our own opportunity to win, also! (See below.) Before you read further, why don't you check out the Proud to Support Pink website and Facebook page!
Wanna Win? We are doing a QUICK giveaway for one lucky reader to take home a coupon good for a Freschetta Pizza (12 oz. or larger), as well as (2) pairs of Freschetta Proud to Support Pink earphones. To be entered to win, just tell us why you want to win this prize! (Easy, huh?) You have until October 30th at noon CST to get your entries in. One entry per person, please. (Don't forget to enter our other blog giveaways while you're here!)
*Samples were received for review. Opinions are 100% my own.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Last-Minute Halloween Guide (For the Little Ones!)
If you've avoided Halloween in the past because your kids were too young or you found it to be too creepy, sugar-laden, or cold, you'll LOVE our ideas for the best ways to celebrate. These products and tips are 100% kid-approved:
NCircle Entertainment DVD's
Educational films are a great way to spend some time indoors on the spookiest night of the year. If you want your little ones to get a bit of learning in while they celebrate Halloween, we recommend The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That: Tricks and Treats and WorldWorld: Kooky Spooky Halloween. Both give kids fun facts to grow with, and the entertainment value can't be beat! (My kids loved learning about bat sonar and putting together words that mean the most to them on this holiday.) Both are just 30 minutes each and cost less than $7!
Spicy Spookamole
Avocados aren't the most popular food at our house, but when you add a little fright factor to the common guacamole recipe, it is something even my kids can't say "no" to! Here's the recipe:
2 fully ripened avocados from Mexico, halved, pitted, peeled and diced
1/4 cup chopped white onion
1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, seeded and chopped
4 ounces fresh, uncooked Mexican chorizo, casings removed coarsely chopped
Salt to taste
In bowl, combine avocados, onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt and chipotle; mash until combined but still chunky. Heat a medium-sized pan over medium-high heat; add chorizo. With a wooden spoon, break chorizo into smaller pieces as it cooks. Cook and stir until brown and crisp, about 5 to 6 minutes. With slotted spoon, transfer chorizo onto guacamole. Serve with chips or raw vegetable sticks, if desired.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Sounds yummy, doesn't it?
FREE Pocoyo Activity Book
My kids love coloring sheets and activities that reflect the holiday, and they especially enjoy characters that they love. There is an assortment of goodies from Pocoyo that are free for everyone, and that can be accessed via this link. In additon to the recipes, costume ideas, printable mask, and coloring pages, kids can access free games featuring the favorite preschooler at pocoyo.com!
SunRidge Farms Milk Chocolate Rainbow Drops
CatDog on DVD
While the thought of a cat and a dog combined to form one animal may see a bit ooky, it's actually a very clever way to make kids (and adults) of all ages laugh out loud for hours! The Season One DVD set of the classic cartoon is now available and is perfect for watching with the kiddos on Halloween night. They just don't make animated fun like this anymore! (And it will be fun to watch long after Halloween is over!)
These are just a few ideas for a tyke-friendly Halloween. What do you have planned?
*Samples of some items were received for review. Opinions are 100% my own.
Enlist Your School to Fight Child Hunger (Giveaway)
Is your school participating in the Child Ends Hunger campaign this year? If not, it's super easy to get signed up, and your school could win $10,000 for field trips! The school will also receive a kit to get started, including a professional banner, collection box, and more. The kit will enable you to start collecting UPC's from eligible ConAgra products to be redeemed for a donation equivalent to meals for your local food bank!
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| Find the UPC's from your fave ConAgra brands |
Many parents may want to get their school involved, but aren't sure how to approach their school. We put together a simple email or letter that you can personlize and use to get started! Here is what we used:
"Dear (staff or PTA board member),
As a (School Name) community member, I thought this might be a good opportunity for our schools:
I am working with ConAgra foods on a program called Child Hunger Ends Here and am reaching out to area schools to let them know about the Schools Fight Hunger initiative. I don't know if Tekamah-Herman schools have done any food drives in the past, but this is a new way to raise extra money for our local food banks by simply saving UPC codes from any ConAgra branded foods (including Banquet frozen dinners, Chef Boyardee, etc.) The program doesn't cost the school anything, and any representative of the school can sign up for their free food drive kit. The kit contains resources to help promote the hold the drive, including a large vinyl banner, customizable posters, forms, box labels, etc.) Schools that participate are also entered to win $10,000 for field trips for the school!
If you are interested in participating, I would love to talk with someone further, or they can go directly to the website at www.schoolsfighthunger.org to get started. I think it's a great opportunity to give, even when everyone is having such a hard time with tight budgets. For every UPC collected, ConAgra will donate the equivalent of one meal to the food bank that serves our school children directly. This would help ensure that their shelves stay stocked, even as they feed more people!
I appreciate you considering this opportunity. I can assist with any questions or manpower you may need, and would love to be informed if you decide to go ahead and sign up!
Thanks so much!"
What do you think? Doesn't it sound simple? You can check to see if your school is already participating in the program by checking out the Schools Fight Hunger website. Keep saving those UPC's!
Wanna Win? As an extra incentive to help you check out the program, we're giving away (2) $25 gift cards to lucky readers! To be entered to win, just visit the Child Hunger Ends Here website and let us know if your school is participating (you can click the "Schools Fighting" tab at the top of the page to get a searchable map.) You have until November 9th at 11:59 pm CST to get your entries in. One entry per person, please. (Don't forget to enter our other blog giveaways while you're here!)
*I am a compensated blogger correspondent for ConAgra's Child Hunger Ends Here campaign. Opinions and experiences shared here are my own.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Target Recalls Frog Mask
We don't even know what to say about this seriously flawed design. The mask, which is plush, actually covers the child's mouth and nose when worn. If you have this in your home, please see this recall!
Stay Safe!!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Does Proactiv 365 Really Work?
We've tried acne and skin solutions in the past, and usually, we get turned off by products that require many steps to keep the routine up. We were indeed a bit intimated by the Proactiv 365 kit, as well, although after having the opportunity to contact customer care experts to get customized assistance for our skin type, it certainly helped with the concern.
We applied the product nightly (both my daughter and I) for over a week to try it out. I have to say, that once you get the steps down (there were 4 for me), it was automatic after a few days. I did notice that the day after the very first night I used it, several blemishes practically disappeared, and some of the larger ones were noticeably drier and smaller.
One thing that I didn't like about the routine was that I often went back and forth between being a bit too dry to having a few new breakouts from the moisturizer. Once I found a balance, however, (using the moisturizer every other day), I was fine.
I found that the product wasn't too harsh and was pleasant-smelling. The bottles, while small, seemed to last quite a while. If you have someone in your family who struggles with acne, or you just get tired of breakouts from hormones, I think it's worth a try. You may find it to be the structure you need to take your skin care seriously, and there was definite improvement in my skin after just one week.
Proactiv 365 includes the products in the starter kit, as well as 24/7 support to help you with issues or questions via email, chat, or phone. It also includes access to a 500+ question and answer database, and customized consultations with the doctors behind the brand. My kit also included free 68-page pocketsize book, The Doctors' Secrets to a Lifetime of Clear Skin, by Drs. Rodan and Fields.
You can get more info on Proactiv and the 365 suite of products at the official Proactiv website.
I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Proactiv and received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.
Review of Poppin Park Elefun Busy Ball Popper (Giveaway)
The Poppin Park Elefun Busy Ball Popper toy is one of those that you've probably seen on TV and thought, "I wonder if it's really as fun as the commercials make it seem." I'm here to tell you that -- yes -- it is REALLY that fun. Not only does this toy work well to entertain and engage my very wiggly, hard to keep engaged toddler, it also provided a fun way for my older boys to play with him, as well. The sound on the toy is no more noisy than a quiet hair dryer, and once we had the 4 "D" batteries (not included) put into the toy, we had hours of fun watching them play.
Here is the video of our play time highlights:
So what do you think? Do you have a little one age 9 months + who needs something to stimulate and entertain him or her? I believe that this toy would be a blessing in your home!
You can find out more about Playskool's toy offerings at the official Playskool website.
Wanna win? We are giving one lucky reader an Elefun Busy Ball Popper (valued at $29.99)! To be entered to win, just tell us how you would use this toy in your home. You may enter every day. (Please answer the question for the first entry. Each entry after that can be "enter me.") You have until November 7th at 11:59 pm CST to get your entries in. U.S. 18+ only. (Don't forget to enter our other blog giveaways while you're here!
*Sample received for review. Opinions are 100% my own.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Walmart's Home Free Shipping Program Explained
This past week, I ordered a few things for our family using the new Walmart Home Free Shipping program. Like other online retailer offers, it gives you free shipping on select items when your purchase reaches a certain amount.
Kashi Granola Bars
Orville Redenbacher's Popcorn
Huggies Diapers
My total was over $45, so my entire order shipped free!
There are over tens of thousands of items that qualify through this program, including beauty products, diapers, formula, clothing, household cleaning products, snacks, personal care, vitamins, and more! As someone who uses Amazon quite a bit for their free shipping over $25, I will definitely be looking at Walmart more carefully. (And even though my order was to arrive in 3-5 business days, it came on the 3rd day after my order!)
You can learn more about the free shipping options through Walmart (including Home Free) on their free shipping page.
Halloween DIY: Make Your Own Accessories with Duck Tape!
Duck Tape can be pricey, but it does so many things! We used it this year (as we do most year) to create realistic and afforable accessories for my sons' Halloween costumes. First, we purcahsed a standard Transformers costume from Walmart.com for my middle son ($10.) Then, we allowed my oldest son (who is 8) to design a "blaster" for the costume, since most of them don't come with any kind of accessories.
Here is the basic design he did by taping toilet paper rolls and miscellaneous stuff together.
Then, my husband got to work with the boys to use hot glue and assorted varieties of Duck Tape we bought at Walmart to create the finished look:
Here is the completed project, along with the costume we bought!
You can use Duck Tape to create all kinds of accessories. We've made swords for knight costumes, axes for our Tin Man costume, and more! You can even make everyday play things for your kids. (Just be sure to use lots of layers, and be creative with your color choices.)
Have you used Duck Tape for a costume accessory?
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