Making Life Better

Tax season = limited time to cook. Recession = limited funds to spend on groceries. When you put these two equations together, what do you get? STRESS over the age old question, "What's for dinner Mom (or Dad)?"

Luckily, I can turn to a new website for help. Unilever, the consumer package goods company, has spent a great deal of time thinking about how to make everyday life better and help us find ways to create great meals and do more with less. The company's Web site, Making Life Better, features delicious recipes, affordable meal ideas and tips that stretch your budget and save you time.

Here is a sampling of just a few of the great ideas you can find on Making Life Better:

· Wish-Bone Italian Dressing can do double-duty either as a delicious salad dressing or a great-tasting marinade for chicken, pork, beef and fish. For fast indoor cooking when an outdoor grill isn't available, try a grill pan to create an inside grill.

· Need a budget-friendly meal? Try Baked Pasta Primavera with Ragu Pasta Sauce, which costs less than $2 a serving. Ragu Pasta Sauce has a full serving of veggies in every half-cup of sauce, so this recipe is a great way to sneak veggies into your kids' diets.

· I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! has new Cooking & Baking sticks that bake and taste just like butter! Even better is that they have 50% less saturated fat than butter, 0g trans fat per serving, and provide an excellent source of Omega 3. More importantly, this is a simple change that we can make to help our families live a healthier lifestyle.

· Your family can also enjoy a perfectly seasoned Pizza Meatloaf that you can prepare in no time with go-to ingredients like Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup Mix and Ragu Pasta Sauce. With two Lipton recipe mix envelopes in each box, your family can enjoy pizza meat loaf one night, and onion burgers the next!

· And definitely look for Bertolli Oven Bake Meals, such as Stuffed Shells, in your grocery store's freezer. These restaurant-quality Italian classics can be prepared by simply opening the package, pouring the ingredients in your own oven dish and baking. What a great way to skip the Italian restaurant and enjoy a night in - especially if the kids are gone for the evening.

· Polish off dinner with a glass of great-tasting and refreshing Caribbean Tea Splash, made from Lipton Green Tea Bags, pineapple juice and cream of coconut (for less than a $0.25 a serving!)

And whatever you make for dinner tonight, let me be the first to wish you bon appétit, guten appetit, and buon appetito!

BONUS: Not only can you find food and recipe ideas on the Making Life Better website, you can find ideas for Beauty & Style, Home & Family, Vitality & Wellness, Tips, News and Offers (including some really great coupons). Be sure to sign up for their e-newsletter while you are there to receive more ideas, recipes and tips!

This review was sponsored by

Mom Central

Hidden Valley Love Your Veggies™

Eat your vegetables! How many times have you yelled strongly suggested that to your kids? Does it work? Of course not. Looking for ideas on how to better encourage your kids to love (and eat!) their vegetables? Then check out the Hidden Valley Love Your Veggies™ campaign!

As part of their continued effort to help parents and educators overcome the challenges of getting children to eat their vegetables, the makers of Hidden Valley Salad Dressings have created Veggie Adventures, a free online game that can be played now at LoveYourVeggies.com. Keeping in mind a recent study that indicated that 60 percent of parents play computer games with their kids, the makers of Hidden Valley Dressings hope Veggie Adventures will be yet another tool for moms to utilize to expand their young children's appreciation for vegetables.

Veggie Adventures engages families in a three-part vegetable adventure that begins with growing vegetables on the farm and ends with serving and sharing vegetables with friends. Along with fun and easy game-play, Veggie Adventures provides players with great tips and vegetable facts meant to be transplanted outside of the gaming experience. At the end of each stage, players receive a printable certificate to commemorate their success.

The game really is fun to play. On the first level, you use your water (in a hose) to scare the "critters" off your vegetables. You have to be careful not to use too much water though (nice tip of the hat to water conservation!). On the next level you have to drive the vegetables you grew to the market. Watch out for "critters" in the road or you will lose your vegetables! On the third level, you feed your vegetables to the kids (if only it was this fun to feed vegetables to real-life kids, LOL!) - note the handy bottle of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing on the table already!

So be sure to check out Veggie Adventures - play it with your kids - have fun and good luck with those vegetables!

This review was sponsored by
Mom Central

Little Jet Set revisited

Will you be traveling for spring break this year? Is the "idea of traveling with young children to another state, let alone to another country, is as appealing as drinking rancid milk?"* Want some help to make the process go smoother? Let me recommend that your first destination be to Little Jet Set. I've been lucky enough to review products from Little Jet Set before (see the reviews here and here) so I was excited to be asked to take a look at one of their newest products.

If you are a new reader, you might be asking, "who or what exactly is Little Jet Set?" Let me tell you - it's THE website for parents about to travel with their kids. Little Jet Set carries a HUGE array of travel accessories, toys, games, puzzles, activity books and more, all of which are designed to keep kids comfortable, organized and occupied on all kinds of trips (such as short jaunts to the beach or longer trips to see family). Little Jet Set believes that the prepared parent is the happy parent on trips. I personally LOVE the variety of unusual and functional travel items I have seen (and used!) from Little Jet Set. The product they sent me to review this time is no different - the Sand Goh beach toy will soon be your "must-have" beach toy this year too:

Sand Goh ($39.95) This innovative beach toy provides a unique and exciting twist on classic building blocks and sand castle construction. The toy consists of sturdy plastic molds that interlock and that can be combined, stacked and mixed and matched to create various three-dimensional sea creatures. Sand Goh inspires imaginative and creative fun for kids of all ages and is conveniently packaged in a travel tote with handle making it the perfect take along toy for a day or a week at the beach.

Includes 15 plastic pieces and travel tote
Tote measures 14.5 in. x 12 in. x 3.5 in.
Age 4+

My take: This is a great beach toy for my 4 and 6 year olds. The pieces really are quite sturdy and make for much easier castle building than the traditional buckets and molds they've been using. AND they can make quite a variety of all the aquatic animals they love from visiting the aquarium with their grandmother. For me, I love the travel tote it comes in - makes it much easier to carry than all those buckets! Another home run product for Little Jet Set!

About Little Jet Set: Little Jet Set was co-founded by a pair of seasoned attorneys turned expert “mom travelers” who decided to take a break from practicing law to share their knowledge about the inherent challenges of traveling with children with other parents. Co-Founders Hana Wolf and Nisha Cordero carefully select thoughtfully designed and well-constructed travel accessories and products that are available online at www.littlejetset.com. Wolf and Cordero also provide family travel tips and information on their blog, We’re Not There Yet. Parents can shop from more than a dozen categories, as well as by age and brand, making it easy to find the perfect items. In 2008 Little Jet Set received an iParenting Media Award for Outstanding Website and a Count Me In Make Mine a Million $ Business Micro to Millions Award. For more information about Little Jet Set visit http://www.littlejetset.com/

BONUS! Use this discount code for TWENTY PERCENT (20%) off your entire purchase: SEE20 (expires June 15, 2009)

Happy Travels!

*(quote from Little Jet Set's press release)

The Household Guide to Dying

From the publisher: The Household Guide to Dying is a moving, witty, and uplifting novel about Delia, who writes an acerbic and wildly popular household advice column. When Delia realizes that she will lose her long battle with cancer, she decides to organize her remaining months—and her husband and children’s future lives without her—the same way she has always ordered their household, and she knows just what to do. She will leave a list for her daughter’s future wedding; fill the freezer with homemade sausages, stews, and sauces; and even (maddeningly) offer her husband suggestions for a new wife. She’ll compile a lifetime’s worth of advice for her children, and she’ll even write the ultimate “Household Guide to Dying” for her fans. There is one item on her list, however, that proves too much even for “Dear Delia,” and it is the single greatest task she had set for herself. Yet just as Delia is coming to terms with this, an unexpected visitor helps her believe in her life’s worth in a way that no list ever could.

Imbued with Delia’s love for food, Jane Austen, clucking hens, and fragrant gardens, and interspersed with her secrets to making a pot of tea, removing wine stains from lace, and the ingredients to the perfect wedding cake, this is a gorgeously crafted novel that captures the reader—heart and mind—and expands our understanding of a meaningful life.

“With The Household Guide to Dying, Debra Adelaide serves up a tantalizing literary soufflé—a beautiful blending of lightness and substance that centers around Delia, as quirky, funny, feisty and brave a character as any in contemporary fiction. I think you'll love this life-affirming novel. I did.” —Wally Lamb, author of The Hour I First Believed

To begin with, this book confounded and confused me. The narrative did not follow a linear path by any means. The author jumped across time lines and situations and characters as she jumped from chapter to chapter. As soon as I'd be absorbed in one part of the story, the author would move forward or backward in time to another story. Ugh!

But gradually she pulled me in. Pulled me in to the story so deep I feared I would literally drown in emotion. Twice I had to stop and put the book down because I could not see through my tears. Once I had to stop and take a shower so I could literally SOB in secret (what could I tell my husband if he saw me crying? That I was crying my heart out over a fictional character?)

But that is the question. Is this a fictional character or do I know her? You see, my dearest friend in the world died of cancer in much the same way. While she was sick, we didn't talk about the cancer much. We didn't talk about how she felt about a lot of things - we avoided talking about the illness (or more accurately, I avoided it so as not to face the reality of losing her). So as I read this book, I kept thinking, is THIS how Jane was feeling? Is THIS what she was going through? I imagined it was and my grief, which had been dormant for a bit, arose again fresh.

And that's not to mention the OTHER tragedy in the book that I was NOT expected and literally sucker punched me in the gut.

That said, would I recommend this book? You betcha I would. If you are looking for a book that will touch you and stay with you long after you've finished reading it (I dreamt about the book the night I finished it, I muse over the feelings it awoke in me for days after), one that makes you THINK and FEEL in a way no novel has done before, READ THIS BOOK.

Mother Talk

and by

Mom Central

Morning in a Different Place

Morning in a Different Place
by Mary Ann McGuigan

National Book Award Finalist's Latest Novel Renders a Time of Change

List Price: $17.95

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 195 pages
Publisher: Front Street (February 2009)
Language: English

From the Publisher: Mary Ann McGuigan's novel Where You Belong was named a Finalist for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature (1997). Now the story continues in the Junior Library Guild Selection Morning in a Different Place (Front Street Books), McGuigan's new novel of friendship in a turbulent time.

In an exploration of race and self-discovery through the eyes of thirteen-year-old girls, McGuigan brings her talent for emotional authenticity to its stand-alone sequel to follow best friends Fiona, the daughter of Irish immigrants, and Yolanda, an African-American girl, into eighth grade—and a world forever changed. Why does this friendship get everyone so upset? Because Fiona is white and Yolanda is black and in the Bronx in the 1960s, that's not the way it's supposed to be.

In 1963, with social upheaval all around her, Fiona faces her own moral crossroads. Her family's escape from her abusive, alcoholic father turns out to be as fleeting as his sobriety. At school in the Bronx, the popular girls ignore Fiona. But soon her friendship with David, a boy they like, grants her invitations to parties and a chance to be part of the in crowd. Though desperate for acceptance, Fiona doesn't want to lose Yolanda's friendship in the process. Yet the popular girls are not about to include a "negro" in their circle. Despite the challenge to their friendship, Yolanda urges Fiona to follow the example of the courage of the Civil Rights leaders, who stood up to fire hoses and police dogs, and put a stop to her father's abuse once and for all.

Mary Ann McGuigan notes that "in the first book, Fiona and Yolanda bond in an urgent and intense way. They become each other's safe harbor. In Morning in a Different Place, I wanted to take a closer look at those pressures—not only the pressures from family and friends and society but also the pressures from within the relationship itself. Fiona and Yolanda get tripped up by their own insecurity and need to belong. I wanted to see whether they could navigate those stormy waters without losing their way."

Set during the Civil Rights movement, in the final weeks before the assassination of JFK, Morning in a Different Place renders a time of change. Whether reading the book on their own or in English or Social Studies classes, young readers living in a new time of change will be absorbed by the differences and parallels in Fiona and Yolanda's lives.

My take: 1963. The United States is in turmoil. The fight for civil rights is in full swing and the races just don't mix - not in the workplace, in schools, and certainly not in friendship. Ironically, just before reading this book, I watched the 2007 DVD of the musical Hairspray (a movie set in 1962) and attended a local play about the Massive Resistance of 1958, both of which also addressed the important issues of integration and equal rights for all races. Morning in a Different Place speaks about that turbulent time through the eyes of young women - 13 years olds on the cusp of adulthood. How well I remember being 13 and caught between the pull of my childhood and the lure of finally being "grown-up." It was confusing enough of a time without having to deal with the issues these girls had facing them. And how admirably they took on their challenges.

While the characters are fictional, the book reads like a first person account of history, and in my humble opinion, first person accounts are the best way to learn about history. When you can relate to the people you read about, you are more likely to absorb the lessons of time that are so valuable and so necessary for progress. This is a powerful book, one I'm saving for my own daughter. I highly recommend Morning in a Different Place (and while it's not necessary to read it first, as it stands alone) I've already put Where You Belong (the prequel to this book) into my amazon.com shopping cart.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mary Ann McGuigan was born in the Bronx, New York, to a large Irish Catholic family. A graduate of St. Peter's College in New Jersey, she taught English for eight years. Her short stories and essays for adults have appeared in literary magazines and other publications, including the New York Times. She works in publishing and lives in Metuchen, New Jersey.

Liza Palmer in the house

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.
CONGRATULATIONS ICE CREAM MAMA!

Conversations with the Fat Girl

List Price: $12.95
Paperback: 328 pages
Publisher: 5 Spot (September 13, 2005)

Publisher Comments: In this witty debut, 27-year-old Maggie learns that sometimes a person does outgrow her favorite pair of old jeans and her oldest, thin-by-gastric-bypass-surgery friend.

From Publishers Weekly: Palmer debuts with the latest sprightly entry in the ever-expanding category of light romantic comedies starring plus-sized heroines. Maggie has been best friends with fellow fat girl Olivia since they were 12. Following gastric bypass surgery at 22, however, Olivia grows increasingly unrecognizable. Now 27, she's engaged to Adam, a fat-phobic Ken doll, and although Maggie is to be the maid of honor, she feels less and less a part of Olivia's skinny new life. After Olivia disappoints her old friend again and again, Maggie sets in motion a long-overdue and explosive confrontation and walks into the arms of the colleague—busboy to her barista—whom she's had a crush on for ages. By that time, in true chick-lit style, Maggie is both earnestly at work improving herself and being loved for her true, unimproved self. And though Palmer doesn't moralize, it's when Maggie starts to make her own, more realistic wishes come true—by taking a better job and signing up with a trainer instead of a surgeon—that she sees her love requited. It turns out her instincts were good—as are Palmer's.

Seeing Me Naked

List Price: $13.99
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: 5 Spot (January 8, 2008)

Back cover: Elisabeth Page has big shoes to fill. She's the daughter of living legend novelist Ben Page, and the sister of literary wunderkind Rascal Page, and her career as a pastry chef is decidedly not up to her family's snooty standards-even if she works at the hottest restaurant in L.A. Elisabeth hopes no one will notice that her five-year plan to run her own patisserie has morphed into an eleven-year plan to nowhere. Her personal life is also frozen in time: she's still involved with her family-approved childhood sweetheart, a journalist whose constant jaunts leave her lonely. Enter an exciting career opportunity and even more terrifying, Daniel Sullivan, a beer-drinking basketball coach who is everything her family is not. Addicted to control and bred to criticize, can Elisabeth finally embrace happiness? Only if she has the guts to let others see her naked…and let them love her, warts and all. (read excerpt from chapter one here)

My take: What can I tell you about these books? I am not a professional book reviewer. I don't write things like "consider it haute chick lit; Palmer's prose is sharp, her characters are solid and her narrative is laced with moments of graceful sentiment" (from a review of Seeing Me Naked by Publishers Weekly). To be honest, I'm not even sure what that means and I have two college degrees! So for these books, I'm going to take the advice of the ab-fab founders of Mother-Talk who I've done some book reviews for - their guidelines for book reviews says: "we don’t want reviews that sound professional or worthy of the New York Times. We’re just a bunch of moms talking to other moms — that’s why we’re called “MotherTalk”!".

I just really liked reading Ms. Palmer's books. Why? Mainly because I could relate to the characters. Now I may be staring 40 in the face these days but I still remember what it's like to be in my 20's with all the accompanying angst about live, love and career. About trying to live up to impossibly high paternal expectations like Elisabeth in Seeing Me Naked (and being just as anal as she is). And Maggie from Conversations with the Fat Girl, well, let's just say I've been "the fat girl" my entire life. Ms. Palmer is such a gifted writer that I felt like she popped inside my head from those early days of adulthood and then wrote books about it. Her characters are very honest and real - I found myself really caring about what happened next while reading and not wanting to put the books down. Do I recommend them? Hell YES! And I can't wait for her next book either. 5 out of 5 binkies.

About the Author: Liza Palmer was born and bred in Pasadena, California. After dropping out of college, she held every degrading job imaginable until she finally realized the only talent she had was writing. Her debut novel, Conversations with the Fat Girl, launched Warner's 5Spot line in September, 2005 and went on to become an international bestseller. Conversations with the Fat Girl has also recently been optioned by HBO for a series. Her second novel, Seeing Me Naked, was released in January, 2008 in the US and April, 2008 in the UK. Her latest novel, A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents, will be published in 2009.

*WIN IT- Christine at Mothering Heights is giving one lucky reader a copy of Seeing Me Naked! To win, head over and read Christine's interview with Liza and come back here and leave a comment with one thing you learned about Liza. Be sure to leave your email address with your comment if you are not a blogger or your email is not easily found on your blog. This giveaway is open until 11:59 p.m., EST, Thursday, April 2, 2009. Good Luck!*

Bonus! Get up to 6 extra entries for a total of 7 entries (please leave a separate comment for each extra entry):

• Blog about this giveaway (don't forget to leave the link in your comment)
• Twitter, Stumble or Digg this giveaway
• Subscribe to my blog via RSS or Email (see top left sidebar)
• Add my blog to your blogroll or my button to your sidebar (leave your website address for verification)
• On Technorati - click on this link, then on Fan or Fav (or use the green link on the top left sidebar)
• Follow me on Blogger (see top left sidebar)

This review was sponsored by: Mothering Heights

Eco-Fun!

Guest post from Marie Baker, Program Director for Team Mom & Music Moms at Child's Play Communications:

In the upcoming months there will be some great opportunities to teach kids about saving energy and the environment including Earth Hour and Earth Day. We have some fun projects that kids can to at home to learn about the environment – courtesy of education experts from the Goddard Schools (the number one child care company).

What’s also cool is World Wildlife Fund has created a website, http://www.earthhourkids.org/ which features lesson-plans, games and songs children can download. There is also a section for parents to email their state and federal representatives.

On Saturday, March 28th at 8:30 p.m., during the World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour, hundred of millions of people around the world will turn off their lights for one hour in a vote for action on the climate crisis.

Then on April 22nd more than 500 million people and national governments in 175 countries will celebrate Earth Day.

And on March 27, at special “Stepping Up for the Environment” events across 320-plus Goddard Schools nationwide, more than 40,000 youngsters will help spread the message that even very young children – toddlers and preschoolers - can make a positive impact toward a sustainable future. Education experts at Goddard, the country’s leading child care franchise company, offer the following fun projects that you can do at home to teach your kids about the environment:

1. Create the Earth. Eco-friendly coffee filters make great miniature earths. In two separate cups, use food coloring to make blue and green colored water. Then allow the children to use eyedroppers to drop the colors on their Earth (coffee filter). When the colored water is dropped on the filter it spreads a bit and the children can create land and water shapes on their “little earths.”

2. Lights Out, Flashlights On. Play “I Spy” in the dark. Have the children use flashlights to locate objects they can use to become more “green,” such as a light switch or recycle bins.

3. Go for a Nature Walk. Place tape, sticky side out, on the children’s wrists and take them outside to collect things in nature. You could also decorate a sack and go around the neighborhood picking up litter.

4. Dress It Up! Hold a fashion show using old newspapers as the runway. Create vests by using grocery sacks decorated with recycled supplies such as used yogurt cups, etc. Glue recycled materials to the vests and decorate with paint. Then let your kids show off the “beauty of recyclables” while learning what items can be recycled.

5. Make Rainsticks. Recycle old paper towel rolls by making rainsticks. Have the children close the bottom of the stick with paper and tape. Then fill with beans or rice. You can also crumple up some aluminum foil to make a louder sound. Let the children decorate the rainsticks with construction paper. Use this activity to talk about the importance of clean water and water conservation.

About Goddard Systems, Inc. www.goddardschool.com: Recently named #1 Childcare Franchise in the United States, by Entrepreneur magazine, for the eighth consecutive year (January 2009) and one of the Top 200 Franchise Systems (in worldwide sales), by Franchise Times, for the second consecutive year (October 2008); Goddard Systems, Inc. (GSI) is expanding The Goddard School® network throughout the United States. Headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, GSI currently licenses 320+ franchised schools with more than 40,000 students in 37 states. With a successful system in place and dedicated franchisees, GSI is the acknowledged leader in franchised childcare and a premier childcare provider in the United States.

I am proud to be a member of Team Mom

Corneille: The Birth of Cornelius

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.
CONGRATULATIONS YZgirl4 (non-blogger)

The Birth of Cornelius

List Price: $10.98
Audio CD (March 10, 2009)
Original Release Date: 2008
Number of Discs: 1
Label: Motown / Universal

Introducing, Corneille, a major new artist on Motown Records. Apparently, though he is virtually unknown in America (I had never heard of him - have you?), Corneille sells out arenas in other parts of the world.

My taste in music is somewhat eclectic. Songs on my iPod range from the 1960's to present day, and include country, pop, and easy listening. R&B, soul, smooth jazz...are all music genres that I do not normally listen to. So it was with some trepidation that I set out to discover what Corneille (a Red Cross Canada spokesperson and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador) is all about.

I was pleasantly surprised. Team Mom told me "on his American debut The Birth of Cornelius, Corneille explores smooth soul and acoustic-based R&B pop. Think of a mix between John Legend, Tracy Chapman and Marvin Gaye. So when you are looking for a little “you” time, Corneille can provide the soundtrack." I have to agree. I've listened to this CD in full three times now and each time find something new to enjoy about it. I could definitely see relaxing to this CD while imbibing in a warm bubble bath or something similar.

Corneille's life to this point is such a compelling story too that I had to include part of it here for you to read:

From the producer: The release of The Birth of Cornelius doesn’t just mark the arrival of a major new artist on Motown Records. The album chronicles the latest chapter for a musician who has already had a remarkable career—and an extraordinary life. Though virtually unknown to an American audience, Corneille sells out arenas in other parts of the world. His albums have reached monumental, Diamond-selling status in France. And those accomplishments follow struggles and challenges in his personal history that are truly beyond comprehension.

Corneille Nyungura was born in Fribourg, Germany, where his parents were students. At the age of six, his family returned to Rwanda, their country of origin. “When I went to Rwanda for the first time, there was a sense of going to the place where I belonged,” he says. “But because my parents were very much Westernized, I still felt like I didn’t fit in.”

As a boy, Corneille began to develop an interest in music—initially discovering Michael Jackson (although “because we were so far from MTV, most kids didn’t even know what he looked like”), and then the great soul artists who would shape his style: Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Prince.

He credits his father for nurturing his interest. “I was singing something in my room,” he says, “and my dad heard me, and said, ‘That sounds good, it kind of sounds like Tracy Chapman.’ And I remember thinking, ‘Oh, It’s OK for me to make music.’ That was a very unique thing because music is a big part of African culture, but we never considered it as a job option.” At age 16, he made his first recording, and was selected as a finalist in a music contest sponsored by the state-run television station.

But in 1994, Rwanda’s President Habyarimana was assassinated, and the largest, most horrific genocide in modern history claimed over 800,000 victims. Corneille’s parents and other family members were killed in the massacre. He alone managed to escape—first to Kinshasa, and then to Germany, where he was taken in by some family friends.

When asked how surviving such an incomprehensible tragedy has shaped his outlook, and his music, Corneille is strikingly calm. “For a good ten years after the genocide,” he says, “I lived in a great deal of denial. But I managed not to get too bitter because I had parents who always made me feel special. It’s a sort of pain that you can have closure with. I know I’m not going to be able to talk to my family ever again, but they left me with memories filled with such love that I don’t have that much anger.”

** WIN IT! I have one AUTOGRAPHED COPY of The Birth of Cornelius to giveaway to one lucky winner! To win, leave me a comment here telling me what YOUR favorite genre of music is. That's it! Be sure to leave your email address with your comment if you are not a blogger or your email is not easily found on your blog. This giveaway is open until 11:59 p.m., EST, Tuesday, March 31, 2009. Good Luck!**

Bonus! Get up to 6 extra entries for a total of 7 entries (please leave a separate comment for each extra entry):

• Blog about this giveaway (don't forget to leave the link in your comment)
• Twitter, Stumble or Digg this giveaway
• Subscribe to my blog via RSS or Email (see top left sidebar)
• Add my blog to your blogroll or my button to your sidebar (leave your website address for verification)
• On Technorati - click on this link, then on Fan or Fav (or use the green link on the top left sidebar)
• Follow me on Blogger (see top left sidebar)

I am proud to be a member of Team Mom's "Music Moms" who sponsored this review.

NEOSPORIN® + Pain Relief Ointment and Cream. EVERY CUT. EVERY TIME.®

I live in Southeast Virginia. Today it was 77 degrees outside, sunny and balmy. Tomorrow (which is ironically, the first day of spring) it will be only 40. Such is our weather in March. You never know if it's going to be hot or cold. But you do know that Spring and Summer are right around the corner. And with the warmer temperatures comes outdoor activity for you and your kids. And hand and hand with outdoor activity are the inevitable scrapes, bumps and injuries. How prepared are you?

How long has it been since you looked through your medicine cabinet to be sure you are armed with plenty of bandages, pain relievers, ice packs, and antibiotic ointment? Now, you might be asking, "why is an antibiotic ointment so important?" I'll tell you. Because 46% of people treat wounds to soothe them and relieve pain - are you one of them? Painful wounds (including splinters, shaving cuts, blisters, hang nails, ripped cuticles, paper cuts and burns) account for nearly 40% of wound types that people sustain. Even minor cuts and scrapes can become contaminated with dirt and germs, which may cause infection.

And more importantly, any antibiotic ointment needs to be unexpired to be the most effective. Are you sure that all your medicines and products are up-to-date and have not expired? I try to go through our cabinet at least twice a year. But you know, most people don't think about doing that because 40% of homes have an expired topical antibiotic in the medicine cabinet!

During my last clean out of the cabinet, I had a lot of expired medicine to throw away, including our antibiotic ointment. My husband (an EMT) prefers I buy Neosporin instead of the generic brand and I figure in this area, he is going to know best. So I was thrilled when Mom Central and Johnson & Johnson’s sent me a tube each of NEOSPORIN® + Pain Relief Ointment, NEOSPORIN® + Pain Relief Cream, and the newly available NEOSPORIN® NEO TO GO!® First Aid Antiseptic/Pain Relieving Spray (which can travel with you and your family as a convenient and on-the-go way to clean and disinfect minor cuts). Not only do we use Neosporin for pain relief and faster healing time, it works GREAT as a diaper rash ointment substitute in a pinch!

Product Description: From the #1 doctor recommended brand, NEOSPORIN® + Pain Relief First Aid Antibiotic/Pain Relieving Ointment and Cream help prevent infection and provide temporary relief of pain or discomfort in minor cuts, scrapes, and burns.

Product Benefits:

• Helps prevent infection in minor cuts, scrapes and burns.
• Soothes painful cuts.
• Soothes the pain of burns.
• Suitable for ages 2 and up.
• Available nationwide in food and drug stores, and mass merchandisers for $4.77 - $9.07.
• Available sizes – Plus Pain Ointment: 1/2 ounce tube, 1 ounce tube; Plus Pain Cream: 1/2 ounce tube, 1 ounce tube.

For more information visit http://www.neosporin.com/

NEOSPORIN®, SCAR SOLUTION®, NEOSPORIN AF®, and NEOSPORIN LT® are brands and products of Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products Company Division of Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc.

NEOSPORIN® + Pain Relief Ointment and Cream. EVERY CUT. EVERY TIME.®

This review was sponsored by

Mom Central

Bunnytown: Hello Bunnies!

Bunnytown: Hello Bunnies

DVD Release Date: March 17, 2009
Suggested retail price: U.S. $19.99, Canada $24.99
Rated: U.S.TV Y, Canada TV G
Total episode run time: 96 minutes
Sound: Dolby® Digital Sound
Languages: English, Spanish

From the studio: "On Tuesday, March 17, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment will release the rollicking and hilarious BUNNYTOWN: Hello Bunnies on DVD! The Disney Playhouse Series hops and bops onto DVD for the first time ever, with colorful bunny characters teaching important lessons on perseverance, sharing and teamwork. BUNNYTOWN: HELLO BUNNIES! features rollicking, hip music, colorful bunny characters, humorous skits, and important lessons on perseverance, sharing and teamwork. Sail the seas with Pirate Bunnies, save the “Crunch Carrot Festival” with Super Bunny and soar through the galaxy with Space Bunny as they go about their musical day. With four hilarious episodes chock full of rock, country and disco music and bonus material including an engaging activity (“Bunny Dance) and a fun multiple choice game( “It’s that Time Again), BUNNYTOWN: HELLO BUNNIES! makes the perfect Easter gift. Plus, viewers will get the chance to catch an exclusive sneak peek of the all-new movie Disney Mickey Mouse Clubhouse “Mickey’s Adventure in Wonderland.”

BONUS FEATURES

*”Bunny Dance” – Residents of Bunnytown and the Bunny Band use silhouetted dance moves to teach viewers how to dance.

*It’s That Time Again” Game – Multiple-choice game featuring segments with King Fluffy the Forth and Jester Bunny.

*Exclusive sneak peek of all-new movie Disney Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Mickey’s Adventure in Wonderland. "

Playhouse Disney on The Disney Channel is one of my kids' favorite t.v. channels. Their Dad and I like it too because the shows, from the classic Mickey Mouse Clubhouse to Little Einsteins to Handy Manny are entertaining and educational. One show on Playhouse Disney we hadn't seen before however, was Bunnytown so we were excited to get the new DVD Bunnytown: Hello Bunnies to check out.

Well, let me tell you, my kids loved this show as they laughed over and over at the silly skits. I thought the show has a Muppet's feel to it, which is no surprise given that it is produced by Martin G. Baker and Pete Coogan, who both previously worked for Jim Henson Productions. The shows were something of a cross between an old Carol Burnett variety show and early Wiggles DVDs. As detailed on Wikipedia, each episode features between ten and twelve segments as follows:

-A running gag, played out in four parts. One example has bunnies getting ready to race, but instead disco dancing in the first part, then sleeping in the second part, followed by flying in the third part, and then finally racing in the last part, with the payoff that a rubber band is at the finish line, and they fly back to the starting point.

-A song.

-Red and Fred, a silent comedy/slapstick pratfall team in Peopletown made up of a Red, a tall, fat man played by Andrew Buckley and a shorter, thin male, played by Ed Gaughan. This is done in the vein of Laurel and Hardy.

-Another skit and/or song.

-The Bunnytown Hop, done by a rock-and-roll band inspired by mega groups such as Earth Wind and Fire.

-Super Silly Sports, also held in Peopletown, hosted by Pinky Pinkerton (portrayed by Scottish-born actress Polly Frame). She wears a pink Alice band in her blonde bouffant hairdo along with a matching neck scarf and sports jacket over a white tennis dress, along with pink and white striped above the knee socks. An example of this spoofing of sports contests and their telecasts within is a staring contest between an 11-year-old boy and an Idaho Potato (because both of them have "eyes"). Pinky's signature exclamation is "Oh me, oh my!" done multiple times.

-Another skit, followed by a song.
-Following the payoff of the running gag, all of the rabbits gather to sing the closing song It's A Bunnytown Life.

Here are two of the segments you'll see on Bunnytown: Hello Bunnies

G’DAY BUNNIES:


HELLO BUNNIES


Overall, Bunnytown: Hello Bunnies is another solid addition to the Playhouse Disney DVD series. While not overly educational, preschoolers especially will be entertained by the bunnies' capers. Fans of the show will enjoy seeing their favorite bunnies on demand and parents can relax knowing their kids are watching another safe, fun, and child friendly show from old reliable, Walt Disney Studios. This would make a great addition to any Easter basket this year!

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, a recognized leader in the home entertainment industry, is the marketing, sales and distribution company for Walt Disney, Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures, Miramax and Buena Vista product, which includes DVD, Blu-ray Disc and electronic distribution. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment is a division of Disney Enterprises, Inc.

"Discover" Current

Recession. Depression. Call it what you will, our country is in the midst of some very hard times. I think we can all agree that some very bad financial decisions by individuals and companies alike led to these hard economic times. It's time for everyone to learn financial responsibility and what better time or place to start than with our children, particularly our teenagers. I think it behoves us as parents to educate the next generation now so they don't make the same mistakes we did.

Consider these frightening statistics:

• From a 2007 National Council on Economic Education survey - only seven states require high school students to take a personal finance course.
• Jump$tart Coalition – 2008 biennial survey found that high school seniors correctly answered only 48.3 percent of questions about personal finance, which was lower than the previous year’s average of 52.4 percent.
• A study by the Center for Responsible Lending indicates that students account for about six percent of all overdrafts. This percentage results to an annual overdraft bill of $963 million for people ages 18 - 24.
• Networks Financial Institute at Indiana State University – from a 2007 study of K-12 teachers:
• a. The majority of teachers - 8 in 10 - think it’s important to teach financial literacy in U.S. classrooms
• b. Only about half of K-12 teachers say they teach some form of financial literacy to their students
• c. According to teachers, financial literacy skills are lacking among young people in the U.S. and many say that their students need to be exposed to the basic financial skills to function in society.
• d. Parents want their kids to be financially independent but don’t necessarily have the skills to teach them

So what's a parent dealing with tweens and teens to do? What do you do when they ask for a credit card? Well, with the new Current by Discover® Card, you can actually say "yes" and start them on the road to learning about fiscal responsibility.

What is Current by Discover® Card? It's a truly innovative debit card called designed especially for kids ages 13 to 18. The Current Card helps us teach our kids born in a digital age how to manage spending. Like car companies that allow you to set the maximum speed limit on your teen's car, Current by Discover Card puts parents in control by letting them set (daily, weekly, monthly) spending limits, block certain merchant categories (like ATMs and liquor stores) and track their teen's spending online or through email and text message alerts. Plus, because it's a debit card product, the card stops working when the limit is reached without incurring any additional fees, which protects teens from overspending. The Current card helps your teen to learn financial independence without incurring debt or hidden fees (no more surprise credit card balances from your teen's "minor" shopping spree!)

Current features include:

Helpful Account Management Features: Parents can set spending limits, restrict merchant categories and track their teen’s spending through online statements, e-mail and text message alerts. They also enjoy the convenience of free, flexible loading options. Teens also can load their paychecks onto the card through direct deposit.

Advanced Security Features: Current is protected by Discover’s $0 fraud liability, which means cardmembers are never responsible for unauthorized charges – online, offline, anytime, anywhere. Current cards that are lost or stolen will be temporarily suspended or deactivated, and cardmembers will be eligible for an emergency replacement.

Financial Education Resources: Teens can learn how to spend smarter by logging onto the Account Center at CurrentbyDiscover.com. There they can view helpful articles on topics such as basic financial concepts, protecting yourself from identify theft, starting a savings program, and making your money go further.

In addition, Current by Discover Card also is sponsoring a financial literacy program across high schools nationwide through its Money Smarts Program, designed to help educate high school juniors and seniors on basic money management skills. The Money Smarts Program covers the basic concepts of financial literacy and correlates with national academic standards set fourth by the National Endowment for Financial Education.

Meaningful Rewards: Teens are eligible for members-only in-store coupons and online discounts when they use their card at select restaurants, movie theaters and teen-friendly merchants. What’s more, parents earn Discover Cashback Bonus or Miles when they load their teen’s Current Card using their Discover Card.

Low Pricing: Cardmembers pay a $5 monthly charge for each card, or save $10 by paying an annual fee of $50. Fees include four free ATM withdrawals per card per month.

It almost makes me wish my kids were teenagers already so I could get them started with the Current card. ALMOST.

This review was sponsored by

Mom Central

Autism One Radio Introduces TRP Wellness OT

Unless you are familiar with autism, you may have read the title to this post and said "HUH?"

Even as prevalent as autism seems to be today (experts estimate that three to six children out of every 1,000 will have autism), if it hasn't touched your life, you may not have any idea what I'm talking about. But I'm willing to bet that every single one of you knows at least one person with a diagnosis on the autistic spectrum.

I've spent a LOT of time these past few months researching autism spectrum disorders (ASD), [also known as pervasive developmental disorders (PDD)]. Why? Because someone special in my life was suspected of being on the scale. Luckily for this individual, it looks like we will be able to rule out ASD. But for many parents, family members and teachers, their sons, daughter, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, students, etc. are not so lucky. And after the diagnosis, they are thrown into a brand new world they often know nothing about, trying to find the right treatments for their loved one.

Which is why I'm pleased to share this information with you today about Autism One Radio. From the press release:

"On March 6, 2009, Jackie Olson and Britt Collins, MS, OTR/L will join forces and host a radio program called TRP Wellness OT on Autism One Radio. This mother (Olson) and occupational therapist (Collins) team will take a closer look at what occupational therapy (OT) has to offer children with autism and show parents how they can incorporate sensory activities into their child's day whether they're at home, school, or in the community. Occupational therapy benefits children with autism by attempting to improve their quality of life through meaningful experiences...Together these women will discuss a range of subjects including OT, applied behavior analysis, aquatic therapy, and sensory techniques. Guests will include Dr. Angela N. Hissong, OTR/L, CAPS; Jamie Bergstein, OTR/L; and yoga instructor Aras Baskauskas.

To tune into TRP Wellness OT, go to Autism One Radio, click on the play button "live" or download the archive of the radio show in March to listen!"

This information was provided by The Opinionated Parent - I am proud to be a TOP reviewer:

Disney on Ice Tour

My 4 year old daughter loves Disney Princesses. Her room is decorated with the Disney Princess line and her 4th birthday party was a Princess party where all the guests made their own tiaras. She wears Disney Princess clothes and drinks and eats off Disney Princess table and glassware (in fact, as part of this tour, Mom Central sent her a new Disney Princess cup that she loves so much, she refuses to drink out of any other cup now!) That's why I can't wait to take her to see Disney on Ice (especially since it will be a few years before I can afford to take her to Disneyworld)!

Feld Entertainment's Disney On Ice live touring performances feature iconic Disney stories, characters, and music, providing audiences with a high quality, fun experience the whole family can enjoy together.

Interactive Disney On Ice shows feature exciting action, romance, comedy, athletic world-class skating, beloved Disney characters, and favorite Disney songs to which kids can sing and dance along. Their rich colors, costumes, bigger than life atmosphere, music, lighting, choreography and humor all contribute to making the experience one that builds childhood and family memories for years to come.

And now, thanks to Mom Central and Feld Entertainment's Disney On Ice, you can take your whole family to the show without breaking the bank:

Offer #1: Get 4 tickets for just $44 by entering the code "MOM" at select ticketing channels*. Offer good on all performances, minimum purchase of 4 tickets required; additional tickets above 4 can be purchased at $11 each. Offer not valid on Gold Circle Seating, Front Row and VIP seating or combinable with other offers. Other restrictions may apply.

Offer #2: A select amount of Front Row and VIP seats have been reserved for you to buy before they go on sale to the public - just enter the code "MOM" when purchasing those seats.

Dates and cities where families can use the national MOM code are as follows:

Houston
Disney On Ice presents Mickey and Minnie's Magical Journey
April 15-April 19

Dallas/Ft Worth
Disney On Ice presents Mickey & Minnie's Magical Journey
March 18-March 29

Sunrise/Miami
Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy
March 26-April 5

Toronto
Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy
March 18-March 22

Kansas City
Disney On Ice presents Mickey & Minnie's Magical Journey
April 1-April 5

Denver
Disney On Ice presents a Disneyland® Adventure
March 12-March 15

Phoenix
Disney On Ice presents a Disneyland® Adventure
April 9-April 12

Chicago/Rosemont
Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic
Sept 8-Sept 13

To learn more about Disney On Ice shows touring the country this year, visit http://disney.go.com/disneyonice/ and visit ticketmaster.com to use the 4 tickets for $44 code, MOM.

Be sure to spread the MOM code around to friends and family near those cities. Simply go to www.disneyonice.com and type in your zip code to find the shows and purchase tickets online with the code.

This review was sponsored by
Mom Central

Bella Sara Treasures & Miniatures

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.
CONGRATULATIONS JODI (NON-BLOGGER)!

When I was a kid, to say I was "wild" about horses would have been an understatement. I lived, breathed and slept horses. And luckily, my best friend actually owned a horse so I happily spent weekends mucking out stalls just to get to ride her horse (now you see how much I loved horses!). A few months ago, I reviewed Bella Sara Trading Cards - a line of trading cards created especially for girls, that has sold more than 80 million cards to date! I would have loved these cards back when I was so horse crazy. And now Bella Sara™ has expanded the line with a Treasures Series and Miniature Horses Collection.

“The first ever Miniatures Collection and the new Treasures series gives young fans the chance to further exercise their imaginations as they enter the world of North of North,” says Peter D. Adkison, CEO of Hidden City Games, a leader in online gaming. “Bella Sara is pleased to introduce these two new additions as we continue to offer a positive and inspirational play experience.”

Palm-size Perfection
Imagination is now in the palm of your hand with the Bella Sara Miniatures Series 1 Collection, the first line of Bella Sara velvety horse miniatures. Featuring soft horse figurines, the Miniature Series is an another dimension of Bella Sara which can also be experienced through trading cards and in online and video game virtual worlds.

--20 different horses to collect
--20 different bonus codes to enter
--A checklist containing full-color images of every horse in the series

Show off your new petite pal to all of your friends by setting your beautiful horse in the included stand. Use your miniatures as board game pieces and bring the whimsy and magic of North of North to any game. Each miniature pack comes with one horse figurine, a bonus code that will reveal an animated horse statue for your cottage, and a full-color checklist. The fun never ends as the second series of miniatures will be available in October.

Treasured Moments
See what treasures will be revealed with Bella Sara Treasures, the eighth series in the popular Bella Sara trading card line. The series features the inspirational treasures that the horses from Bella Sara’s land of North of North cherish and protect. Each horse has her own unique treasure to share. You can discover rare jewels, amazing natural wonders, historical artifacts and fantastic magical items.

Treasures bring a new element at BellaSara.com with more printable activities including bonus codes, coloring pages, wallpapers, a poster and jigsaw puzzles. Discover 27 brand new horses as well as 23 of your familiar friends and their treasures. Every Treasures card pack comes with five collectible cards, a card checklist, a mini-game, Bella Sara tattoos and stickers.

In stores March 3, 2009, Bella Sara Miniatures Series 1 Collection will be available for an approximate retail price of $1.99; Bella Sara Treasures Card Pack $2.99. The entire Bella Sara collection is available throughout North America at BellaSara.com, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Borders, Kmart, Target, Toys “R” Us and Wal-Mart stores, as well as regional chains, booksellers and toy, hobby and equestrian shops.

BONUS: You’ll also have the chance to win an exciting treasure hunt party for you and your friends with a special Bella Sara contest that will take place February 27th through April 30. Grand-prize winner in each age group will have his or her treasure featured on a winners’ page at BellaSara.com, receive a full set of Treasures cards, and win a Bella Sara treasure hunt with prizes for friends and family*. Two runners-up in each age group will receive a Treasures Value Box, a Bella Sara novel, and Treasure Trot.

About Bella Sara: The most successful trading card product ever developed for girls, features horse-themed fantasy cards that offer positive, inspirational messages. The collectible fun packs include unique codes that can be activated on the Bella Sara website. Bella Sara taps into young girls’ love of horses and offers them the ability to nurture virtual horses in their online stables, read stories and play games. The online world of Bella Sara at www.bellasara.com boasts more than 4.3 million registered users and offers interactive stables, games, puzzles, coloring pages, storybooks and customizable cottages. Over 80 million cards have been sold since the games global introduction two years ago.

About Hidden City Games:
Hidden City Games, Inc., a venture-backed game publisher headquartered in Seattle, develops and markets games to interactively engage players and collectors of all ages. The company is best known as the exclusive licensor of Bella Sara for girls ages 5 and up. The inspirational, horse-themed trading cards and magical online world launched nationwide in the United States in March of 2007. Bella Sara, the most successful trading card product ever developed for girls, links to a safe, fun-filled virtual world for kids at www.bellasara.com. Founder and CEO Peter D. Adkison formerly founded Wizards of the Coast, Inc., which created the world’s first trading card game, Magic: The Gathering, and introduced the Pokemon trading card phenomenon to North America.

*WIN IT- One lucky reader will win 2 Bella Sara Miniatures Series 1 Collection and 2 Bella Sara Treasures Card Pack. To win, leave a comment telling me which Miniature you like the most. Be sure to leave your email address with your comment if you are not a blogger or your email is not easily found on your blog. This giveaway is open until 11:59 p.m., EST, Monday, March 9, 2009. Good Luck!

Bonus! Get up to 6 extra entries for a total of 7 entries (please leave a separate comment for each extra entry):

• Blog about this giveaway (don't forget to leave the link in your comment)
• Twitter, Stumble or Digg this giveaway
• Subscribe to my blog via RSS or Email (see top left sidebar)
• Add my blog to your blogroll or my button to your sidebar (leave your website address for verification)
• On Technorati - click on this link, then on Fan or Fav (or use the green link on the top left sidebar)
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I am proud to be a member of Team Mom, which sponsored this review.