New Years Resolutions with Hormel Foods!

I promised you all that we would be participating in the Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger Program for another 6 months and I am super excited about that! Since my biggest New Years Resolution was to spend more time cooking things up in the kitchen and visiting fast food restaurants WAY less, I am hoping the good tips we get from Hormel will help me stay on track!

I have always been a huge fan of Hormel foods but never new how many products they actually carried until I started working with them and their blogger program. They make products that will definitely help me stick to my resolution and I started out by using their canned chicken in my family's favorite chicken and noodles recipe. All you do is cook the noodles in broth and dump a can of this chicken into the noodles and it makes a delicious meal for my family...especially in the winter time when we are looking for those comfort foods!  I love making the kluski noodles and with this chicken only being 45 calories a serving, I feel good about serving it to my family.

So how about you? Did you make a resolution this year?

*This is not a paid post. All opinions are my own. This post was written for my participation in the Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger Program*



Cheryl’s Valentine’s Day Hug Bugs Giveaway Ends 2/08

Valentines Day is right around the corner and everywhere I look, I am seeing all sorts of goodies that would make great gifts for those I love! Valentines Day has turned into a much bigger holiday for a lot of people around the country and not only are they sending gifts to their sweeties, but many people (myself included!) are sending gifts to everyone....their kids, teachers, siblings, etc. This can get pretty expensive so Cheryl's is the perfect place to go and find awesomely inexpensive gifts that everyone will enjoy! For just $5, you can send your very own Hug Bug Cookie Greeting to all of those special people on your list. These cookies are SO cute and let's face it...you can hardly send a card anymore for just $5 so this is the perfect gift! 

Cheryl's offers a LOT more to offer as well! If you are looking for bigger gifts, consider one of their other awesome cookie gifts! 

This will make ANYBODY feel loved and spoiled on Valentine's Day!

I love the look of these spring cookies!

They are offering free shipping on new Valentines Gifts right now too so don't miss out on this opportunity! Just use code VALSHIP between now and Valentine's Day to receive the free shipping!

GIVEAWAY

3 lucky winners are going to win their own Hug Bug to receive themselves or send to someone special!!!

Valentines Day Dinner Made Easy! Easy Pork Ribs Slow Cooker Recipe With Aunt Sassy's Sauces!

I love to try new recipes for my family so when 2 bottles of Aunt Sassy's Sauces showed up, I knew I had to make some extra special for my family to eat. We received the Original Honey and the Cracked Black Pepper sauces from Aunt Sassy's Slightly Naughty line and we were definitely impressed!!! These sauces were totally yummy straight from the bottles so I knew they would be good cooked up on some meat!! Not only is it good on meat but it's also the PERFECT dipping sauce!!! 

I am a big fan of chicken so the rest of my family eats it all of the time to appease me so I thought I would make them something new with our new sauce so I went with a super easy pork ribs recipe that can be made in the crock pot. I love crock pot meals and this would could not be easier and I have to say, it was a big hit! I hope you try it out and let me know what you think! 

This would make an AWESOME recipe to make your sweetie on Valentines Day! Forget fighting the crowds and making reservations...make him/her their own romantic dinner right at home!!!

Easy Slow Cooker Pork Ribs Recipe

Ingredients 

Pork or Beef Ribs

Salt/Pepper

1 Bottle of BBQ Sauce 

Directions:

1.) Wash the meat and salt and pepper both sides

2.) Put the ribs in a baking dish (I'm lazy so I line the pan with foil first to cut down on clean-up) and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn over and cook for another 15 minutes on the other side.

3.) Pour 1/4 of your bottle of bbq sauce into the crock pot and place the ribs inside. Dump another 1/4 of the bottle over the top of the ribs.

4.) Cook in the crock pot on high for 6 hours. 

5.) Take ribs out of crock pot and return to the baking pan. Dump the other 1/2 of the bottle of bbq sauce over the top and throw them back in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. 

6.) Take out of the oven and enjoy with your favorite side dishes! I made my honey his favorites. Grandma's fried potatoes, baked beans and his favorite vegetable medley with cheese sauce! YUM! 

Easy as can be! If you aren't going to be home for over 8 hours, throw them in the crock pot in the morning before you leave the house but cook them on low instead! These ribs are so tender, they will just fall right off the bone!!

*I received the sauces to try in this recipe free of charge to review. All opinions are my own, This is not a paid post*

Flash Giveaway!

It's been awhile since we have done a FLASH giveaway but since Facebook changed all it's rules, we can't do it the same way we used to........but we can still do it right here! So as a big fat thanks for all of your support, one lucky winner is going to win a $15 Target Gift Card and $10 Paypal cash. A 2nd runner up will win $10 Paypal cash. If you are in the US, I will mail the card to you....if you are international, I can email you the code.  Hurry up and enter though, you only have until Sunday at midnight!!!! Thanks for all you do to keep us going! 

Angie's Kettle Corn Giveaway Ends 2/2

Valentines Day is coming up in just a few weeks and as the Head Room parent of my 1st grader and 4th graders classrooms, I like to find treats that I think their classmates will love. I am the "over-achiever" who always wants to go above and beyond for my children but at the same time, I think it's important to balance nutrition and health  in there as well. Introducing Angie's Kettle Corn!  When this awesome bag of yumminess showed up on my doorstep, I was super excited because we are big fans of popcorn........and after I took one bite, I was hooked. I wasn't so sure about the kids because they had never had kettle corn but judging how fast the bag disappeared, I would say it was definitely a hit at our house!

What we received was the Angie's Kettle Corn Valentine Pack which is available at Target Stores right now for $5.99!!  The package comes with 20 individual bags as well as some super cute valentine stickers so you can give the gift of this salty, sweet treat!!!!  The stickers were super funny too, like the one you see to your right that says "My <3 Pops 4 U." How cute is that?! But the real treat is inside of the bag. My kids started out by filling out about 10 of the stickers to gift to their teachers but as the bag with the rest of the kettle corn dwindled, I noticed the teachers pile getting smaller and smaller until it was all gone! HA! The kids love taking Angie's Kettle Corn to school for snack-time and even in their lunchboxes for a lunchtime treat!  Rarely do I find a snack that all 4 children enjoy but Angie's Kettle Corn has definitely stolen their hearts!!!!  I don't mind either because each pack is only 70 calories AND this awesome stuff is cholesterol free, certified gluten free, contains no trans fat AND it contains whole grain. What more could a Mom ask for?!  (Oh yea, MORE Angie's Kettle Corn!)

They definitely hit one out of the park with this stuff. It's a perfect balance of salty and sweet that our entire family adores. Now the only problem is, what are we going to do when it's all gone?!?!?!?!

GIVEAWAY

One lucky winner is going to win their own Angie's Kettle Corn prize pack!

Wordless Wednesday...The Mother/Son Sports Dance!!!

Showing him not to mess with Mama!

Leave a comment here with your link and I will be sure to hop over and do the same!

Redbox Movie Awards Facebook Game Ends 1/29

We are big fans of Redbox and were so excited when a kiosk finally came to our local McDonalds. It is such a convenience for us not having to drag 4 kids into a movie rental place to rent movies and it's even better that we can even pre-order the movies we want from Redbox making it even easier to rent the movies we want! 

Now you can have even more fun with Redbox with the Redbox Movie Awards Facebook Game In this game, you can vote for you who you think will win the awards and if you guess accurately, you could win free Redbox movie rentals for 1 month or 2 or 3 years!  That's a LOT of movie rentals and my family would go crazy over a big win like this!!! So hop over to the Redbox Facebook page and check it out! I received a free movie rental code today just for "liking" the page!!!

GIVEAWAY

One lucky winner is going to receive 3 free movie rental codes from Redbox!

Just leave a comment here and you will be entered to win!

Giveaway will end on 1/29 at 11:59 p.m.

Winner will be chosen at random via random.org

*We received free movie rental codes for posting about this from Redbox and Smiley360. All opinions are my own, no compensation was received*

Zeiss Lenses

If you wear glasses than you probably understand the frustration that comes along with having less than perfect eyesight. I have had glasses since I was pretty young and my oldest son had to get glasses when he was in kindergarten!!!  If you are in the marekt for eyeglasses, you must check out the Educational Tools from Zeiss!!!  These tips were created to enable those who wear eyeglasses to better understand their vision correction needs, ensure they egt the most of out of their next eye exam and receive the best lenses to regain sharp vision!

One of my favorite parts about the Educational Tools was the page regarding "Facts to Know about Vision and Lenses. I copied some of the information and posted it below so you can get an idea of what kind of useful information you can find on the Zeiss site!

Know The Three Os:

An Optometrist performs eye examinations and writes prescriptions for corrective lenses. Most Optometrists can diagnose and treat many medical eye conditions and prescribe certain medications.

An Ophthalmologist is a medical doctor treating the full range of eye diseases and conditions. Ophthalmologists perform surgery for cataracts and other eye conditions.

An Optician fills the prescription from the optometrist or ophthalmologist and specializes in fitting eyeglasses and providing lenses to correct vision problems.

Based on your vision test, an eye care professional will prescribe the optimum lenses to help you regain sharp vision.

Children should have eye exams:

At ages six months, three years and when beginning school.

Every 2 years (even with no vision issues) to check for early signs of eye disease.

Adults should have eye exams:

Every two years, even with no vision issues.

Annually starting at age 40 as your eyes start to experience natural age-related vision changes.

When selecting eyeglasses for your vision correction, you will also be choosing your eyeglass frames, the type of lens and lens coating. Be sure to let your eye care professional know about the activities you participate in when wearing glasses.

Not all lenses are created equal. Zeiss Individual® is the first progressive lens to integrate how your frames, face and prescription work together for a one-of-a-kind lens that is precisely personalized for the wearer. ZEISS technology is used to create these customized progressive lenses, which are clinically proven to be preferred by consumers over conventional progressive lenses to improve their vision and quality of eyesight.

Ask your eye care professional about the lenses he/she has recommended for you, and how the lenses meet your vision needs.

Know your coating options:

Anti-reflective: Reduces reflections to a minimum for crisper, clearer vision in all lighting situations.

Anti-scratch: Provides optimum protection against scratches which can interfere with vision.

Anti-static: Repels dust and dirt so lenses stay cleaner longer.

Hydrophobic: Dirt and moisture slide off the surface, so the lens is quicker and easier to clean.

PureCoat® by ZEISS: This high-tech coating offers all-round protection including hard anti-scratch coating, anti-reflective coating, and the anti-static function all in one.

UV coating: Some lens materials block 100% of harmful UV rays. Those that don’t require a coating or treatment that offers full UV protection.

Additional options include:

Self-tinting lenses: Tint reacts to changing light, darkening in the sun and clearing indoors. Self-tinting lenses like PhotoFusion® by ZEISS also offer full UV protection.

Polarized lenses: Sun lenses that filter out almost all glare created by sunlight reflected off of water, snow and other surfaces.

The right lenses and coating options for you depend on your lifestyle, work and leisure activities.

Care for your lenses. Don't leave your eyeglasses in the sun or near a heat source as this can damage the

coating and frames. Keep your eyeglasses in a protective case when not in use.

For more information and helpful hints, visit the Zeiss website today!!!

*This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Zeiss through MomSelect*

Peppered Chicken and Herb Vegetable Soup....YUM!!!!

This is definitely what I like to call "soup season" so I am always looking for new soup recipes to help warm us up on these cold, winter days! Our "go-to" soups are chili, potato soup and vegetable soup but you can only eat the same foods so many times before you get tired of them so I have been on the lookout for a new soup to try. While participating in a blog hop, I came across Dailymothering.com and that is where I found the yummiest recipe for a chicken vegetable soup!!!  I am not a big fan of pork or beef so this is an AWESOME alternative!! Thanks Daily Mothering for this awesome recipe!!!

Peppered Chicken and Herb + Vegetable Soup

OR

Chicken Vegetable Soup (for short!)

Ingredients:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 potatoes, rinsed and chopped

2 cups green beans, rinsed and chopped

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

1 large onion, peeled and diced

1 1/2 cups celery, rinsed and chopped

2 2/12 cups carrots, peeled and chopped

1 cup frozen peas

1 can corn

3 tbsp butter

1/2 gallon + 3/4 cup water

1 can chicken broth

 2 1/2 tbsp McCormick Chicken Base (or 2 bouillon cubes)

3 tbsp all purpose flour

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

To prepare chicken, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Melt 2 tbsp butter in the microwave. Pour half of it into a glass 8″ x 8″ square baking dish, and sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper evenly over the butter. Place chicken breasts on top of the melted butter. Pour the remaining butter on top and then sprinkle evenly with more salt and pepper. Cover dish with foil and bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until internal temperature just reaches 165 degrees F. Take dish out of the oven, uncover, and allow to cool completely. Then cut or shred the chicken into small bite-size pieces.

After that is done, prepare the vegetables. In a large pot, melt 1 tbsp butter. Add celery, garlic and onion and saute on medium for 3-4 minutes. Add 1/2 gallon water, potatoes, carrots, chicken base, chicken broth, and vegetable bouillon and stir until blended. In a small dish, combine 3/4 cup water and flour, wisk together and microwave for 30-60 seconds until thick. Stir and then add to the pot with the other ingredients. Set on high until boiling, then reduce to a medium simmer for about 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Add green beans, corn, peas and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another 25 m inuites on a low simmer. Serve.

This is a delicious vegetable soup with chicken that you HAVE to try! Seriously. It is going into our "go-to" recipe box for sure!!!

What's your favorite soup?

Justmensrings.com Giveaway Ends 1/29

It's the season of LOVE and with Valentines Day right around the corner, couples all over the world will become engaged, renew vows and some will be saying "I Do"  for the first time. If you are in this category or if you just want to surprise your significant other with something special, Justmensrings.com has you covered this season!!!

We received the Tungsten Black Ceramic Coated Ring with Polished Edges and it is super nice.  It is a nice twist to the traditional ring and really stands out. My husband loves the black on the silver and it definitely gives it a great look.  I like it because it's unique, just like my awesome husband!!!



We are big fans of Men's Tungsten Wedding Rings and Justmensrings.com has a huge selection! This is a great choice if you are looking for a nice ring on a budget because the price is low and the quality is high!  They also offer a large selection of different styles so whether you are a more traditional type person or you like a little bling, they really have something for everyone!!!

Another great choice if you are on a budget is the Men's Titanium Wedding Bands!  You can choose from one of their plain titanium bands or you can go for one of the more jazzed up styles.  Titanium is lightweight and durable and it's very comfortable!

Justmensrings.com also offers a large selection of Argentium Silver rings that I LOVE!  The one below is a flat  satin band with an angled edge and centered groove.  The 6 round pave diamonds makes this ring unbelievably charming and sophisticated.  

No matter what kind of ring you are looking for, definitely check out Justmensrings.com! Their selection and prices will not disappoint you!!!

GIVEAWAY

One lucky reader is going to win their choice of a non-designer ring up to $90!

General Mills Whole Grain Giveaway! Ends 1/29

We here at the Crazy House love cereal and not just for breakfast!!  It's not uncommon to see the kids munching on dry cereal for a snack or even eating bowls of cereal and milk before bed around here. They get it honest because I have always been a big cereal eater and I don't mind the kids enjoying it so much because if you get the right varieties, you are actually giving your child important foods that he/she needs like whole grains!!!

We all know by now that whole grain is extremely important for us and the Dietary Guidelines recommend choosing products with a whole grain listed as the first ingredient and now every cereal with the white check has more whole grain than any other single ingredient with the same great taste. You will see “whole grain” as a part of the first ingredient on the ingredient list, indicating that whole grain is the first and most prevalent ingredient.

More on Whole Grains.....

According to Dr. Travis Stork, emergency room physician and host of “The Doctors,” identifying whole grain products can be challenging. Shoppers can look for nutritional cues on the front of the box, but they need to read the ingredient list to know if they are getting enough whole grain. Ingredient lists detail ingredients in order of prevalence, and if the words “whole grain” are followed by a grain like wheat or oats, it means the food contains more whole grain than any other single ingredient. Here’s how to determine if your cereals have whole grain as a first ingredient:

With all the health messages facing grocery store shoppers, it can be confusing to translate what appears on food labels into nutritional needs, and hard to determine which foods have a meaningful amount of whole grain. Dr. Stork has some additional recommendations to help you include whole grain easily into your diet. They include:

Start Early! The Dietary Guidelines recommend people get at least 48 grams of whole grain in their daily diets. Get a jump-start on the day’s nutrition by incorporating whole grain into your morning routine. For instance, when choosing cereal make sure whole grain is listed as the first ingredient. One easy choice is cereal with the white check, which have more whole grain than any other single ingredient.

Make Simple Swaps. Choose whole grain versions of the foods you love. Great options include whole wheat pasta and whole wheat bread or even whole grain crackers. Also, try different types of whole grain. Use brown rice instead of white rice as a side dish at dinner or popcorn, which is a whole grain, for a snack.

Don’t Judge a Food by Its Cover. The front of food packages provide good nutritional cues, but don’t forget to read the ingredients and check the nutrition label and side labels for additional health information. Cereals with the white check even include the amount of whole grain per serving on packaging.

To help with choosing products with whole grain, General Mills developed “Fast Lane for Whole Grain,” an online educational game. Consumers can navigate virtual grocery store aisles and identify products that have whole grain as the first ingredient, with the option to enter a sweepstakes to win one of each of the 50 cereals with the white check.

Make a commitment to add more whole grain to your diet by simply pouring a bowl of cereal with the white check including Cheerios®, Lucky Charms®, Cinnamon Toast Crunch®, Honey Nut Cheerios® and Total®.

For more information on the importance of whole grain and a chance to enter the “Fast Lane for Whole Grain” sweepstakes, visit www.WholeGrainNation.com.

GIVEAWAY

One lucky winner is going to win a prize pack that includes 5 boxes of cereal from General Mills!!

 

Big Changes!

I just wanted to let you all know of some BIG changes around here! In case you haven't noticed, we are now on our domain! If you want to visit us now, you can do so by just typing in http://www.crazyhousereviews.com/!!  We are so excited about this change and I hope it will make it easier for you all to get to us now!!!  We are also working with a blog designer and we will soon have a whole new look as well! Our Facebook Page and Twitter has stayed the same though so if you don't follow us there, be sure to do that ASAP so you don't miss any of the fun we have coming up!!!

Handmade Valentines Day Cards from Hearthsong! Giveaway Ends 1/25

If you have children who are in school, you know all about Valentines Day parties at school and everything that goes along with it. I have noticed over the past several years that the store-bought cards are getting worse by the year! They are cheap, impersonal and downright cheesy. My solution? Homemade Valentines Day cards!!! Handmade cards are so much better and more personal and thanks to Hearthsong, we were able to make a boatload of fun Valentines Day Crafts giving my kids a chance to let their creative juices flow!!

The Valentine Kit comes with everything you need to make all kinds of goodies and with the weather getting pretty nasty here in Ohio this week, it was the perfect time to stay inside in the warm house and make crafts! 

The Valentine kit includes:

 • 30 sheets of 9" x 12" construction paper (15 red, 15 white)

• 24 white heart-shaped doilies

• 12 red heart doilies

• textured tissue paper (in red, white and pink)

• 32 full-color floral hearts

• pages of stickers

• Colorful glitter

• Glue stick

You can order the kit alone or you can add stickers and the decorating chalks to get an even greater deal!!!! Regardless, the supplies you receive are enough to make so many different crafts!! My daughter and her Grandma literally spent over 5 hours making fun crafts and they had so much leftover that my sons are going to be able to make some things to take into their classes as well!!!

These are the suncatchers that my daughter made with this kit!!!

She also made a TON of Valentines Day cards for all of her classmates at school!!! 25 to be exact!!!

Here is a card and envelope...how cute are these?!

She even made a cute little heart basket that she filled with candy! This is going to make a great gift for her teacher!!

If you don't want to go through yet another year of cheap Valentines Day Cards from the store, definitely check out this kit from Hearthsong!!!  You and your children will have so much fun creating one-of-a-kind masterpieces that they can hand out to all of their friends!!!

GIVEAWAY

One lucky reader is going to win the same awesome kit that we received!!!

Thanks for entering and GOOD LUCK!

Giveaway will end at midnight on 1/25

Winner will be chosen at random via random.org

*This is not a paid post. All opinions are my own. Review and Giveaway were provided at no cost by the company and/or representing PR firm*

Kidney Infection. False Alarm.

So last night was interesting to say the least. If you remember, a few days ago I mentioned that I had been having some really odd symptoms that were resulting in panic attacks. Things have really not being going too bad for me up until last night though. I woke up around midnight with the following symptoms:

*Heart Racing

*Chills

*Pain on both sides of mid-Back

*Dry Mouth

*Nausea

*Stomach Pain

So of course I do the one thing I shouldn't do and that is Google it! I stuck in my symptoms and low and behold, every article that popped up indicated that I was suffering from a Kidney Infection. I was up for several hours and because we finally got snow last night, the kids had a 2 hour delay for school but as soon as they got on the bus, I made hubby take me back to the ER to get checked out. Imagine my surprise when 30 minutes later, they tell me that my urine test came back completely clear and that my kidneys were just fine. WHAT?!?!?!  I would have bet a million dollars that I was finally going to get a diagnosis and I am so confused as to what is going on with my body! I know something isn't right and it is so frustrating!!!!  Have you ever been through anything like this? I am trying to make sense of it without stressing but I am a firm believer in the fact that we know our own bodies and we know when something isn't right and it's so hard when even the Doctors can't figure out what it is........or they won't take the time. So I guess that's one more thing ruled out and the hunt for an answer continues. Yipeeeeeeee!

Dormia Pillow Review

I don't know about you but having the right pillows on my bed is super important.  There is nothing worse than getting an uncomfortable pillow and subsequently tossing and turning all night because you can't get comfortable!!  I am so obsessed with my pillows that I will actually take one of ours with us when we go away on trips just so I don't get stuck in that situation. Having said that, I am always on the lookout for new pillows that help keep me comfy at night so I was excited to receive a new pillow from Dormia!!!

The first thing I noticed about the pillow that we received was that my head sank right down into it and it actually conformed to my head. It was so nice and comfy!!!!  The next thing I noticed was that the 2nd night we had it, it disappeared onto my husband's side of the bed!!!!  So after a quick argument, I won and got my new pillow back!

With 4 kids, there is nothing more valuable to me than a good night's sleep and Dormia definitely helps me in that department! Now I just need them to send me one of their mattresses and I will be all set!  :)  If you are looking for some awesome pillows, look no further! Dormia offers the Memory Foam Contour Pillow, Memory Foam Conforma Pillow and the Latex Foam Pillow.  All 3 are excellent choices especially if you are craving a good night's sleep!!!

Be sure to follow Dormia on Twitter and Like Dormia on Facebook to keep up with all of the new stuff that Dormia has to offer!!!

*This is not a paid post. All opinions are my own. Review item was provided by the company and/or representing PR firm at no cost*

Express Scripts and Walgreens

This post brought to you by Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.

 If you are a customer of Walgreens and you use Express Scripts then you are already aware of failed negotiations between the two companies over the past year.  After nearly a year of unsuccessful negotiations, the contract between the 2 expired and as of January 1, 2012, Walgreens is no longer  a part of Express Scripts' pharmacy provider network.  This includes all Walgreens pharmacies nationwide as well as the Duane Reade pharmacies in the New York City area.  Obviously this is an inconvenience to the many customers who now have to drive farther away to get their medications at different pharmacies. We have used the same pharmacy for as long as I can remember because it's close and because they already have all of our information. Changing would be a pain so I can definitely see why customers are peeved!  It's a shame that Walgreens and Express Script were not able to come to some agreement.  Express Scripts is not doing their customers any favors by eliminating Walgreens from their plan and if anything, it is costing their customers more money and hassle which I just don't understand.

Among the steps that Walgreens is taking to limit the burden on its customers, they are offering perks through the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club. Through the club, an individual can join during a special promotion this month for $5, or $10 for a family membership. Members can receive savings on more than 8,000 brand name and generic medications and more than 400 generics are available with a three-month supply for less than $1/week.  An individual can purchase an annual membership for just $20 or $35 for the entire family. Other benefits include discounts on flu shots, pet prescriptions, nebulizers and diabetic supplies.  You can also receive bonuses when you purchase Walgreens brand products and photofinishing services.   

 Keep up with the latest by following Walgreens on Twitter and by "liking" Walgreens on Facebook! 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally Home to Family





Ocean Spray Fruit Flavored Snacks Giveaway Ends 1/22

My kids are HUGE fans of fruit snacks so they are always on our weekly grocery list.  The older 3 like to take them in their lunches and I like to take them on the go for our toddler. They are inexpensive and convenient, which is always a plus!  So of course my kids went crazy when 6 boxes of Ocean Spray Fruit Flavored Snacks showed up on our front porch!!!! We received 3 boxes of each flavor, Cherries and Berries and Assorted Fruit.  The Ocean Spray Fruit Flavored Snacks are made with real fruit juice and natural colors and flavors and one pack is only 80 calories!  Best of all, they are gluten free and provide you with 100% of your daily value of Vitamin C!!!  They also contain Box Tops which is a major bonus as we are huge supporters of the school's box top program!!!

I have to admit. I am not a fan of fruit snacks myself but these are pretty good!!!  Our toddler LOVES them and actually stands at the pantry door and cries for them, no joke! Check out their Facebook Page today to keep up with all the good stuff!!!

GIVEAWAY

4 lucky winners are going to win their own prize packs containing 6 boxes of Ocean Spray Fruit Flavored Snacks!!!!

Kikin.......UGH!

So over the past couple of weeks blogging has become a nightmare for me because my computer has been running so slow!!!  Since I was home today with some "spare time" I figured I should tackle it and see what was going on. We have 3 elementary aged children who play on our family computer pretty regularly and then of course our almost 2 year old "plays" on it as well so really I had no clue what could be wrong.

I started looking into it and when I went into my tools, I found this program on my computer called Kikin and after doing some investigating, I found that this was most certainly our problem. I am not really even sure what it is, I just know it's some kind of add-on or plug-in. I am not a computer tech person but I found after some investigation that it is some type of program that tracks your internet usage and then creates ads based on your usage. This must also be the culprit of all of the pop-ups we have been seeing as well!!! Seems pretty sneaky to me, however it got on my computer, but I was able to get it off quickly and easily in the "add and remove programs" feature in the Control Panel.

Any of you ever had this trouble? I can't believe how much faster our computer is running since I got rid of this and all the pesky toolbars that somehow got downloaded! I am thinking Santa should have brought me a new computer for Christmas.....one that my little stinkers can't accidentally download stuff on to!!! I must have had 10 different search engines and toolbars. Uggggggggggh.

Sure glad it was an easy fix though!!!

Naked Baby

Having 4 children is wild and crazy enough as it is but throw a naked baby in the mix and you have all kinds of crazy going on! Seriously. I am going nutso with this constant battle to keep our almost 2 year old dressed! He strips down as soon as I get him dressed and remains completely naked for a good part of the day. As soon as I see him, I put his diaper and his clothes back on him but then after my back is turned, I will come back to find him naked, streaking through the house yet again. My favorite part is when he will walk up and throw his diaper right at me as if to say, "You thought I couldn't do it, huh?!" So how DO you get a toddler to keep their clothes on?! Awesome question that I don't have the answer to! LOL Here are some things I have tried without any success:

*Onesies.....these worked for a short while but soon Aiden had mastered the snaps. When he cannot get the buttons off, he just takes his arms out one at a time. Little booger.

*Turning the diaper around backwards.....another fail.  If he pulls hard enough, he can just slip them down.

*Overalls....not even overalls could stop this guy! He loves to be naked and it's like he is just daring me to get him dressed anymore.

*Tape..........Yep. I even tried good ole Duct Tape. Hey, they say you can use it for anything and everything, right?! Wrong. Duct Tape was easily torn off by my little super baby and then we just had another mess!

The only thing that he CANNOT get off is zippered sleepers. These are great.......if you put them on backwards!!!  We can also do 1 piece rompers that button...if we put those on backwards too. Luckily he only strips down at home so this works for us. I obviously would never take him out into public with backwards pj's on but since we don't have a problem while we are out and about, this will work for us now. Did you ever had a baby who refused to keep dressed? What worked for you?!