My Fruit Roll Ups…A Fun Way to Add a Personal Touch

I just recently had the opportunity to design my own personal fruit roll ups. Fruit Roll Ups have been around since I was a kid, so I was excited to try it out.   It is such a nifty idea, especially if you are looking to do something unique and out of the ordinary.  My Fruit Roll Ups can be used for party favors for your child’s birthday, or handed out on Valentine’s day, and for any occasion really.

The process was a snap and it didn’t take long at all.  They have a ton of different designs to choose from and uploading your picture is simple and quick.   I chose a Valentine’s Day theme to put a picture of the boys on to hand out as cute little personalized greeting to people.  Each box comes with 30 Fruit Roll Ups, so that you have enough to go around.  I wasn’t sure how the quality would be, but when I received them, I was pleasantly surprised, and the boys got a kick out of seeing their faces on something they were eating.  I hope we don’t eat the box before Valentine’s day gets here!

If you would like to have the chance to design you very own My Fruit Roll Ups, DoubleBugs would like to give its readers the chance to win a box of their own.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

Here’s all ya gotta do:

Visit My Fruit Roll Ups and let me know what design you might choose and what occasion you would use them for.

Leave me an Email so I have a way to contact you if you win

For extra entries choose one of the following:

• Blog about my contest on your site
• Grab my badge or Link to me
• Follow me on Twitter

The deadline is January 21st, 2009

Good Luck!!!

A Toddler’s Creative Way to Remedy a Stuffy Nose

So over the last week the boys had colds.  For Christmas, they got a workbench from Grandma and Grandpa, and a whole bunch of  tools.   This seems to be their new thing, and they use anything and everything as a tool to work on their cars and even mommy’s feet (I guess they think they need help).

I was cleaning up some dishes in the kitchen and bubs was quietly playing with his power screwdriver, when I peeked around the corner to see what he was doing.  When I looked, I instantly had to hold back my laughter and ran to get the camera!   I guess this is one way to relieve a stuffy nose!   Too Funny!

Truvia Sweet as Sugar but Easy on the Love Handles

I have never been a huge fan of artificial sweeteners in my diet.   I just feel like it is something unnatural that you are putting into your body.   You never know the long term effect that all these blah blah saccharin, and “ide” type chemicals have on your body.  When I was busy trying to conceive the boys, I switched to drinking things with Splenda in them as a more healthy resort because it tasted good and was derived from sugar so I thought why not?

It wasn’t until recently, that I learned of an even more natural way to sweeten things without adding pure refined sugar to my diet.  Let’s face it, a girl has to have her chocolate or something sweet.  Truvia natural  sweetener is a stevia-based sweetener.  Stevia  is actually a shrub in the chrysanthemum family, that is native to northeastern Paraguay. First discovered by the country’s natives, the plant has been grown, and used in South America to sweeten foods and beverages for more than 200 years.  Truvia rebiana, the main ingredient in Truvia natural sweetener, comes from the best tasting part of the stevia leaf and is a high purity sweetener.   Thanks to the folks at Cargill, you can now find Truvia at your local grocery store!

When I got my box of Truvia, I opened it immediately because I was excited to try it.   I am trying to shed a few extra pounds, and wanted something to take the place of regular sugar, so I could at least enjoy some things that were sweetened.   I tried it straight out of the package, and it is really good!   My true test though, was my husband.  He doesn’t do any sweeteners of any kind, so I let him try it, and he actually liked it!   This is a huge deal, if you knew my husband!   I love Truvia, and will continue to use it in my oatmeal, on my grapefruit, and wherever else I can substitute.  It is perfect if you want that something sweet, but you don’t want to blow your diet or add to your love handles!

My Weight Loss Coach..Gaming to a New You

So I was sitting here playing with my Nintendo DS and yes folks I do have one and it is pink.  I enjoy playing the Brain Age Games, and  well in the light of me wanting to lose some weight, I thought I would give the  “My Weight Loss Coach” game a try.  It is a lot of fun and it keeps all my information in one place so I can track my progress.  It even comes with a pedometer so I can use it when the weather is nice or just wear it around the house because it seems like I never sit down anyway.

My Weight Loss Coach

My Weight Loss Coach for Nintendo DS is a game for every adult, male and female, who considers reaching and maintaining their target weight a challenge. A program that fits your own objectives and respects your daily life constraints, My Weight Loss Coach supports you and tracks your progress and achievements by improving your energy balance. Developed in conjunction with a nutritionist, it helps you take control of your weight efficiently and feel better. Via an exclusive pedometer (included free with the game), you will be able to measure your real physical activity level and balance it, following the advice of a fitness coach. Your motivation will increase with coaching sessions, daily challenges, mini-games and quizzes – play for only 10 to 15 minutes per day and you will feel the difference!

Key Features

• Personal Profiles: Create your personal profile and evaluate your improvement potential, then set up your objectives following the recommendations based on your personal profile.
• Input Reward System: On a daily or weekly basis, overall, per input category, via a pedometer, physical activity and nutrition.
• The Pedometer: Free with the game and easily updated through your DS, it’s the best way to control your daily physical effort, challenge yourself and balance your food intake.
• Real-Life Landmark Checkpoints: As a reward, all physical activities you achieve and good nutrition habits you acquire are converted into distance. Didn’t you notice you’d already been traveling the distance equivalent to the Great Wall of China?
• Mini-Games:
  • 10 coaching sessions, with different themes like alimentation and physical activity, help define your profile and give you strategies
  • 300 to 500 fun challenges, depending on your profile and your needs
  • Four trivia games, featuring about 300 questions with learning and awareness objectives
  • More than 160 tips and hints within the game
• Real Experts: Developed in collaboration with a fitness coach and a nutritionist.

This is such a fun way to get in shape and it is almost like having your own personal trainer and motivation at your fingertips. The stick figure guy is so funny to watch! I received two of these games for the holiday so I thought I would share, by giving my readers a chance to win a copy of their own.

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED

Here’s what you gotta do:

Subscribe to my feed, and leave me one healthy lo cal snack or meal recipe that can help people in their quest to lose weight.

Leave me an email so I can contact you in you Win

You can have an extra entry if you put my button up on your blog or myspace, facebook pages.

That’s all ya gotta do!

Contest Starts January 7th, 2009 and Ends January 21,2009

Good Luck!!!!

Sharpen the Mind, Shape the Body with GameStop!

So somewhere in my brain I have decided to get in better shape this year.  I know that everyone sets this goal as their New Years resolution, but I don’t do resolutions.  I do aspire to become thinner, however long that may take.  With my days being consumed with house cleaning, chasing after two year old twin boys, one wild golden retriever, and maintaining the laundry trail, I don’t get too much time to myself these days.  Plus it is winter, and well me and cold don’t mix, so getting out to be active isn’t my most favorite option in the world.

Nowadays many Americans are finding a new way to get in shape that makes a fun alternative to the bike or the treadmill.  I know that doing the same thing can definitely lead to boredom, and a quick ending to your motivation.  Now there is a new way to get in shape, spend time with the family and have fun.  Playing popular video games like Wii Fit (which I love), My Fitness  Coach, or Dance Revolution can really make exercise fun.  GameStop stores offer these titles and more and have associates that can help you and your family find the titles that are right for you.

I personally love our Wii Fit and I find myself getting on the thing more and more.  Plus an even better advantage is that, I can do it in the warmth and privacy of my own home.   The games are a blast and so much fun, and  for the month of January GameStop is offering its customers a “Sharpen the Mind, Shape the Body” incentive to encourage active gaming.  They are offering to all shoppers that spend $35 or more on designated products, a free 12-month trial subscription to Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Redbook, Esquire, or Good Housekeeping.  This is perfect combination, have fun on your Wii Fit, then sit down and have a good read.

Visit GameStop today and get active!

What’s For Dinner Mondays

Ok so here’s the deal. I decided to try this out. I know that Mondays are hard because you are busy getting back into the swing of things. Being a stay at home mom means my husband goes back to work and I am again working solo in all things household. I figured that I would share my dinner with you, and maybe it will help give you some ideas. I know from experience that it is so easy to get in a rut when it comes to thinking of what to make for dinner, and for alot of families you need things that are fairly easy to make.

The meals I make aren’t foo foo either because being a mom of twins doen’t give me a whole lot of time to fancy things up. And, I don’t think toddlers care just as long as their bellies are full.

So here is today’s meal!
Chicken in the crock
I just toss in 4- 6 boneless chicken breasts
1 carton of chicken stock (usually use Swanson)
2 cans of Campbells Cream of Chicken and Mushroom Soup

Toss it in the crockpot and let it go on high for about 6-8 hours

Fresh Garden Salad (toss in whatever you want…I like to buy the bagged lettuce and wash it, add a tomato, cucumber, a few grapes, and some cheese…green goddess dressing is our fav)

Steamed Broccoli (The Birdseye Steamfresh broccoli is perfect! I just add a little butter, sprinkle with salt and garlic powder)

Au Gratin Potatoes (I use the Betty Crocker ones out of the box but if you are industrious you can make your own homemade ones)

Fresh Frozen Peaches (I buy the ones at whole foods, thaw them out just a little and sprinkle with a little brown sugar and cinnamon or just a little plain sugar…the boys love these!)

This is a fairly simple meal to make and the chicken is so good.  You can also serve the chicken over rice or noodles as an alternative.   Here is my meal in pictures!  It doesn’t look gourmet but the plates were cleaned!

Share your Monday Dinner Ideas!

Getting Organized in the New Year

I am always looking for ways to get organized. Since having children, it seems that my mind is busy trying to be in fifty places at one time.   I am planning what is for dinner, remembering where I need to go, doctor’s appointments, and what needs to be picked up at the grocery store, and errands to run.   With all these things swirling through my head, I almost always forget something.

I was recently introduced to Cozi, a FREE web service that helps busy families manage crazy schedules, track shopping and to do lists, organize household chores and stay in communication, all in one easy-to-use solution.  It gives you one central location to manage everything from family schedules, shopping lists, messaging tools, mobile messaging, and even a family journal.   One of the coolest features Cozi has , is that you can access your shopping lists or schedules from your mobile phone!   I cannot tell you how many times I have left the house without my shopping list or, I cannot remember if the boys appointment was at 10 or 10:30.  Simply call up Cozi using their toll free number and it can read it to you over the phone or text it to you!  In addition, Cozi now has a mobile version especially for the iPhone and Windows Mobile phones! Families can now sign-in and access their Cozi account using their mobile web browsers.   They can add and edit shopping lists and view and edit their family calendar using the mobile version of Cozi right from their iPhone.  This is a new feature! You can learn more about it here.

Cozi is such a cool site and it makes getting organized fun and makes forgetting even more fun!  I can’t wait to leave home without something just so I can try it out.  Plus, there will be no more tearing off the corner of the phone bill envelopes to scribble down my grocery lists (an I know you know what im talking about  lol).  Check out Cozi and save your sanity as well a few trees!

Game Night Giveaway Winner

My apologies for taking a little while in getting back with the winner of the Game Night Giveaway! Things have been a little hectic but finally returning to normal!

Congratulations to Katherine F. the winner of the Game Night Giveaway. Check back often for more fun opportunities here at DoubleBugs!!

Organic Cotton For Your Baby by B-Nature

When it comes to clothing for little ones, I am a sucker for organic cotton. There is something about the way that it feels, and just knowing that it doesn’t have anything that will harm your baby. When they are little and especially in those newborn years, babies have such sensitive skin.

With a mother and daughter team running the show, B-Nature has developed a wonderful line of pure organic clothing. Not only does the clothing feel incredibly soft but they have such a cute and wide selection of clothing. They have incorporated calm yet stylish colors into their new line such as Green Tea, Wheat and Pistachio. B-nature’s color grown line is produced with only naturally colored organic cotton, which means it is minus all the harmful dyes and chemicals, but not without the “totally adorable factor.”

Another nice thing is that B-Nature’s clothing has no tags! I know I personally look for clothing, that is minus the tags. It is one less thing to irritate your child’s skin. Organic cotton, also washes up so nice. I have quite a few pairs of pajamas for the boys that are organic cotton that I choose for them first, before anything else to wear.

Although, they don’t have larger toddler sizes just yet, I still found myself looking at all the really cute clothes. And after awhile, it just makes me want to have another little one, so I can put him or her in one of B-Nature’s gown or rompers.

All B-Nature’s clothing and gift sets are:

• made from the finest 100% organic cottons
• produced without the use of harsh pesticides
• made from organic cotton grown in healthy farming communities
• sewn under fair labor conditions incorporating living wages, employee housing, meal plans, and health care.

I definitely give B-Nature the “Mommy Seal of Approval.” I firmly believe that companies that have a goal of giving safer eco-friendly options for our children should always be my first choice. B-Nature has some really cute gift sets that would be perfect for a new mom, not only as something special but as a way to introduce her to another alternative in clothing her baby.

Happy New Year

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year. I hope that 2009 is a good one filled with great and wonderful changes! I hope to be back in the swing of things here on my blog on Monday. The holidays are always a hectic time for people and mommies especially. I think I have been in fast forward for the past month now.

We are all down sick at the moment with the exception of my husband. Today we took Monkey to the urgent care because he had labored breathing and a high temperature. They had to give him a breathing treatment and put him on steroids for 5 days. I have already noticed a major difference. Poor thing was exhausted and so was mommy because we were up every hour last night. I hope this means we are turning the corner. It is just incredibly hard when they are sick.

So I am hoping that this is not indicative of how 2009 will be. I am looking forward to great things in my life and here on my blog. I am determined to stay really motivated. I don’t typically make any resolutions simply because it sets you up for failure on day one. I prefer to think of them as aspirations and ideals that I wish to achieve at my own pace. That way when I don’t achieve them I can look forward to continuing to try and meet the challenge. I think it presents in a more positive light and then you just don’t have that resolution looming and you don’t have to feel bad…I think it just has a negative effect on your self esteem. So here’s to all those great aspirations! Ive got lots to look forward too…how bout you?

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