Yoplait Makes For A Great Frozen Anytime Treat

My kids are huge Yoplait Yogurt fans and ask for it just about anytime of the day.  I have almost always bought the Yoplait brand yogurt because it offers a variety for the whole family.  My husband doesn’t like yogurt that has chunks of fruit so he gets the smooth and creamy and I love Yoplait’s regular and whipped yogurt.

It wasn’t until I was visiting Costco that I had actually tried it frozen.  They were passing out Yoplait yogurt that had been frozen and to my surprise it tasted really good and the boys loved it too.  So thanks to My Blog Spark, I was able to try Yoplait Whips and I decided to try them frozen.  They were really yummy and the boys couldn’t get enough.  The best part about them is that they are low in fat and are actually a healthier treat than ice cream.

Yoplait Whips! are currently available in a variety  flavors like Strawberry Mist, Chocolate, Key Lime Pie, Orange Crème, Chocolate Raspberry, Lemon Burst, Peaches ‘N Cream and Raspberry Mousse. As well as their  newest flavor Vanilla Creme which just came out.

If you want to offer a healthier alternative to other frozen novelties, I would suggest giving frozen Yoplait a try and I think y ou could freeze just about any kind of Yoplait yogurt and it would taste just as good.  And even  better, you can make your kids think they are getting something really special yet it is a much helathier alternative.

If you would like to try out frozen Yoplait whips, you can visit here and print a coupon for .60 off of three Yoplait Whips.  Additionally, right now, new members who sign-up to become subscribers of Betty Crocker’s newsletter, will receive a free coupon for Yoplait Whips!

Would you like to win a fun gift pack from My Blog Spark and Yoplait? The Summer Cool Down” gift bag includes two free coupons for Yoplait Whips!, cooler tote, Popsicle molds and a set of 12 color-changing spoons.

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED

Here’s What You Gotta Do

Tell me you favorite way to enjoy Yoplait Whips and what flavor you like

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Contest Starts August 31, 2009 and Ends September 21, 2009

Good Luck!

**Thank you to My Blog Spark who provided me with free samples of yogurt and a gift pack to try for review**

Oscar Mayer Lunchables Lunch Combinations *review*

Making lunches and finding different ways to make the ordinary interesting for kids is often a task that us moms dread at times.  You often hear about how kids are bartering away their lunches in the school cafeteria in exchange for something they find more exciting.

I was recently given the opportunity to try out Oscar Mayer’s new Lunchable Lunch Combinations.  My husband is a huge fan of the smaller Lunchable packets and he takes them for a snack at work or in the morning.  Even though my boys aren’t in school yet, I can see that this would be a perfect alternative to brown bagging it.

In comparison to an unhealthier choice of fast food or cafeteria foods, this at least offers a source of more rounded nutritional value.  We tried the Ham and American Sub combination and I was surprised at how much was actually in the package.  Included in the package was ham, american cheese, sub bun, mayo,sugar free jello, chewy chips ahoy cookies, water and kool aid drink mix packet.  The only thing that I personally would have liked is that there just be plain water in the meal, regular jello since I am not one to give the kids artificial sweetener, and maybe apple slices in place of the jello or the cookies.  I think it is a great idea especially on days where you are running behind and it makes for a hearty meal.  I think if I were a kid this would be a real treat and you wouldn’t find me trading a single morsel.

You can find Oscar Mayer Lunchables Lunch Combinations in your grocer’s refrigerated section next to the packaged lunch meats.  There are six new varieties that include: Turkey + Cheddar Sub Sandwich, Ham + American Sub Sandwich, Turkey + Cheddar Cracker Combos, Ham +American Cracker Combos, Deep Dish Cheese Pizza and Deep Dish Pepperoni Pizza.

**I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central on behalf of Oscar Mayer Lunchables and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. In addition, Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.**

Sigg Water Bottles *review*

During my walks in the evenings, I always tend to bring a water bottle with me and I also find that I am switching out my plastic water bottles frequently for various reasons.  I have found over the years that water bottles often take on the taste of your dish soap, or develop an odor and I wind up tossing them.  Plastic just never really holds up if you intend on using it regularly and who wants water that tastes like something other than that?

With all the BPA scares with children’s products, it had me wondering about my own actual water bottles that I was drinking from.  Now, I am not someone who walks around paranoid, but the safer a product is to use, the better.  I was recently sent a really pretty (The Strawberry Kiss) and a really cool water bottle from Sigg for review.  This isn’t just any old water bottle either.

About Sigg and Their Bottles

SIGGs are extruded from a single piece of pure aluminium for seamless, leak-proof durability. Our liner is one-of-a-kind and the true secret of the SIGG bottle. It is a proprietary formula – containing no BPA – which is baked on for the life of the bottle and remains flexible and crack-resistance despite how dinged up the outside of the bottle might get. Basically, if your SIGG takes a licking, you can keep on sipping.

The Bottle body

• Extruded from a single piece of pure aluminum, no seams
• Highest stability with lowest weight
• Rich colors achieved with a solvent-free coating powder
• 100% recyclable

The internal coating

• Guaranteed to be taste-neutral and resistant to fruit acids and isotonic drinks according to an independent testing institute (Nehring, Germany)
• Fulfills FDA requirements (Food & Drug Administration USA)
• Elastic and unbreakable
• Will not peel off, even if dented on the outside

SIGG produces approximately 100 different shapes and styles of water bottles with new designs coming every year. The SIGG brand is highly respected amongst outdoor enthusiasts with style that is extremely appealing to young, healthy, active people.

Despite all the wonderful features of the Sigg water bottle, there are some really cool designs for it as well, so you can have something really fun, cool and exciting that exudes your personality while on your walks or hikes. There is nothing bland about these bottles and they even have customized skins that you can make for them! Hot cool is that? They have some really fun accessories for them too, which include a wrap around with a clip to hook. The best feature though for me, was that after continued use and washings, my water still tasted like water and not lemon dish soap and it had absolutely no odor. I also like the fact that by using Sigg water bottles you are being kind to the environment. Sigg is a proud member of 1% For The Planet, donating 1% of our worldwide sales to protection of the environment.

I could have a whole collection of these wonderful bottles for the family and they make them for kids in just about anything you can imagine. If you are tired of the same old smelly plastic, you ought to take my word for it and get yourself a Sigg water bottle. I love love love mine and I will never go back.

**Thank you to Sigg for sending me this product for review**

Wordless Wednesday

Birthday Boys

How Old Are You?

I am seriously laughing my butt off at my son.  He has taken to telling everyone how old he is and this is his response ever since we celebrated their birthday over the weekend.  I have it on video about 6 or 7 times, and I  laugh every time I hear him.  It is too funny!  ENJOY!

3 Years Old And Worse Than The Terrible Twos

I have not one, but two, three year olds at home. and I must say that lately I am pulling my hair out.  They are at a stage where they are being very defiant and testing their limits with mommy and daddy.  I am sure it is all just a phase but, I am going  a little nuts.

One of my sons is in to yelling and screaming NO at me, and it usually goes from a frank matter of fact “no” to a shrill screaming no.  Then when I threaten to spank his tush, or ask him if he wants a spank he says yes, then I have to catch him first.  If you can picture me chasing a three year old around the couch, I can imagine it’s quite humorous to see.  We have tried time out, but this becomes play time for him.  It is all wearing me out, because I am one of those people that doesn’t just give up on parenting my kid and say oh well, I tried.  I am a firm believer in teaching my children how to behave, how to have manners and be respectful.

I have such a hard time with this because there are two 3 year olds in the house, and they get on each others nerves.  I am an only child and never experienced any sort of sibling rivalry, so I am breaking up fights over toys daily and when you do that it leads to the offender flailing himself around like fish out of water, and screaming uncontrollably.  It isn’t any wonder why when my husband gets home, I run and hide.  The part that is most amazing is, that when you separate them, they act like angels.  They are totally different kids.  My guess is, that they don’t have to contend for my attention.  Despite me pulling my hair out, everyone compliments me on how well behaved my boys are, so I guess they are just testing us.

I will always be persistent because I know that as they get older, the direction they get now will be a foundation for them, but until then, if you see a woman running crazed down the street, it was me.

Ponds Face Cleansing Towelettes *Review*

Room In Progress

Currently the boys have their play room in our formal dining room. I put it there because we don’t have a dining room table and I was never one to have a need for a room. To me it is a wasted room because I don’t have that many dinners where we have a lot of people.

I eventually want to turn the dining room into a sitting area with a couch and a big cushy chair and ottoman and maybe a couple of tables. Anyway, since having the boys, it seems like their toys have multiplied, and with that, it seems like the trail of toys scattered through our house has grown. Almost daily it is a battle to keep them in that room, since there really isn’t a door. So, after giving it some thought, and after looking at our basement, we decided to put a room down there. This room is going to serve as a play room, where the boys can make a mess, and a family area so that we can all sort of be down there with their toys and watch tv if we wanted.

So over the next week you will get to see our progress, I am so excited with a trip to Rite Rug (more to come on that).

The room is an “L” shape so there is lots of decorating potential and plenty of room for a play area for the boys. I wasn’t able to get the whole room in the picture, but you can get an idea. The framing hasn’t been set so the boards will all be level and straight before we fasten them.

I am so excited, and extremely thankful that my Dad is helping us since he is a carpenter.  It makes a big difference when you are doing it yourself and saves a lot of money!

Office Max Get Your Child Organized For Back To School

It’s that time of the year again when all the kiddos are heading back to school.  When I was a kid, it was always exciting getting all those new school supplies and heading off to school all organized.  It always seemed like everything stayed organized for the first few weeks and then it always seemed to fall apart.

Recently I was able to participate in a web cast  with organizational guru Peter Walsh just in time for back to school.  He was giving some wonderful tips on how to get your child organized for school and how to keep them organized, using some wonderful tips and supplies from Office Max and their new Schoolio Von Hoolio back to school line.  Everything in this new bright and cheerful line can help your child get organized and stay organized while focusing on the more important things in class.

Peter Walsh offered up some fantastic. tips to help your child stay organized.  Color coding can be a great way to teach your child how to stay organized.  By color coding, it makes things easy for your child to recognize and to put things back in their place.  He also stressed how important it is to lead by example, as this sets a solid foundation for your child to learn organizational kills that will carry through into their adult years.

Whenever I watch Peter Walsh, I start to look around my house to see what I can attack in the way of cleaning.  I find myself walking by the kitchen junk drawer and the next thing I know, I have completely reorganized all of my kitchen drawers.  I have always found that being organized in your home makes being organized in your finances, work, and everything you do, so much easier.  I have also discovered that whenever there is clutter around me, I can’t even think normally, because it is a distraction.  The same thing probably holds true for kids.  Sure they can function in clutter, but I think they can perform even better when things are organized.

Here is a recap from the web cast

TIPS FOR HOME
1) Find the Vision you have for a Space
2) Make Organization a Family Value
3) Use the Right Tools for Great Organization

TIPS FOR ORGANIZING YOUR CHILD
1) Show that you Value Organization
2) Establish Clear Limits and Routines
3) Always ‘Finish the Cycle’ (Complete a Task)

TIPS FOR THE CLASSROOM
1) Establish Clear Routines
2) Involve Kids with Classroom Organization
3) Use Words, Pictures and Color to help Organize

You can see Peter’s web cast here!

So get organized and get back to School with Peter Walsh and Office Max!

**Thank you to Office Max for providing me with some wonderful school supplies form their new line!**

What To Expect Healthy Home Growth Chart

When I first became pregnant with my boys, I was a bundle of nerves.  Not only was I first time parent, everything was new to me, so I always felt a little overwhelmed.  I quickly gathered as many books as I could to help ease my mind and to feel like I was as prepared as I could be.

One of my biggest things is maintaining a germ free and healthy home and encouraging my kids to take steps to minimize the spread of germs and bacteria.  My best tips come from being persistent and developing routine with my boys.  Some of the simplest tips in helping to maintain a healthy home, are hand washing after playing in the dirt, after going potty, and before meals.  If you develop routine with kids they will carry this with them.

One of my favorite books was What To Expect When You’re Expecting books, answered a lot of my questions, and explained my pregnancy month by month.  I used this book daily and carried it with me throughout the house.  Recently I was introduced to another great resource. The What to Expect Foundation (which takes its name from Heidi Murkoff’s best-selling What to Expect series) just developed the “What to Expect Healthy Home Growth Chart” with a grant from The Clorox Company and it’s free for you to download!

The Healthy Home Growth Chart, offers insider tips to help Moms keep a healthier home over the course of their child’s first five years. Moms can find tips to coincide with the developmental stages children go through, such as:
•    Disinfecting hard toys at 3 months
•    Baby-proofing the house when they start walking around 1 year
•    Removing allergens from stuffed animals for play dates starting at the age of 2
•    Making hand washing and no-shoes a rule after coming in from playing outside around age 4

There is a ton of useful information in this guide, and I love that it breaks it down into your child’s first 5 years and presents common instances where you can teach your children how to keep germs and bacteria to a minimum.  I know we can’t protect our kids from everything and make them live in a bubble, but teaching yourself and them along the way to maintain a healthier lifestyle will help minimize the spread of germs and possibly expensive trips to see the doctor.

I know as a new Mom it is often hard to remember everything along the way and having as many resources available, are always a huge help.  The What To Expect Healthy Home Growth Chart presents some good information that is simple to follow and can maybe even give new parents and existing parents another resource to gain valuable information and quick tips to maintain a healthier home.

**I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Clorox and the What to Expect Guide and received a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.” And of course disclose that Mom Central has asked you to review the guide in connection with the tour**

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