Green Laundry is Actually a Good Thing

My youngest daughter has eczema. This summer was the worst it has ever been. She was digging and scratching to the point I was worried about staph infections. We tried modifying her diet to no avail, changed her bath soap and shampoo and it didn't help either. I switched to fragrance-free laundry detergent at that time as well and finally we have things under control. For probably nearly six months now we have had absolutely neutral laundry. It wasn't a bad smell, it was just no smell. I like my laundry to smell fabulous - there are few things better than opening the dryer and smelling all those warm clothes! But for Kady's sake we have all adjusted to our positively skin-friendly, very boring clothes.

I signed up for the Green Works blog tour with Mom Central not thinking that the addition of scents might flare up Kady's eczema again, but when I received my bottle of detergent (AND stain remover!) in the mail I was pleased to read that it's dermatologist tested. It's a step in the right direction knowing that Clorox cares enough to test its products, right? After visiting the website and reading "clothes washed in Green Works™ natural laundry detergent won't leave a harsh chemical residue and are gentle on skin. Yet it still cleans with the power you expect from Clorox." WAHOO!! And? AND? There is also a dye-free and fragrance-free variety, too. Oh, Clorox, you made me love you.

I decided I wasn't going to tell the family I was using a different detergent because I wanted to see if anyone noticed and I wanted to see if Kady would complain about her skin without knowing something was different. The first time I opened the bottle I thought the fragrance seemed kind of strong, but I told myself that I had been doing boring laundry for so long my nose was out of practice. From washer to dryer I was pleased with how things looked and smelled and ohhhhh my when I opened that dryer and there were all those wonderfully scented warm clothes just waiting for me to sniff....well, let me tell you without shame, folks, I SNIFFED.

I've done probably 20 loads of laundry with Green Works Original Scent natural detergent and so far there have been no skin issues and I've noticed that when the kids come get their folded laundry to take to their rooms they immediately bury their faces in and sniff like there's no tomorrow. The clothes are clean and I feel better knowing the detergent I'm using is fully biodegradable and never tested on animals.

I also received a bottle of the stain remover and have used it on muddy puppy prints on jeans legs, chocolate ice cream spilled down a pink t-shirt and a glop of makeup, but I really put it to the test the other night after Paul and I worked at the Park of Lights in the rain. Because I have embarrassingly short legs I step on the hems of my jeans all the time. They are always stained and always gross, especially in rainy weather. When we got home I sprayed the hems of my pants down with Green Works and let them soak for about 30 minutes then threw them in the wash. There is no trace whatsoever of mud on my pants legs! I've used the same laundry stain remover for my entire 17 years of being a homemaker, but I now have a new brand.

Check out the Green Works website for more information. I made the switch to Green Works household cleaners and dish soap earlier in the year and it's safe to say I haven't been disappointed with any of the products I've tried. And right now their website is offering a coupon for $3 off their laundry detergent!

"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Clorox Green Works and received a bottle of Green Works Natural Detergent and Stain Remover to facilitate my review and a $20 thank-you gift certificate."

It's Fancy - It's Nancy's!

It's time for holiday parties, family get-togethers and snow days! Here at my house we've been fans of Nancy's Appetizers for a long time - even though I am an avid do-it-yourselfer in the kitchen. The Petite Quiches are my absolute, all-time favorites in the Nancy's line because you can't make mini quiches as good - and as affordable - as Nancy's can! I've also tried the Deli Spirals and well....YUM!

I like the fact that any appetizer I've tried from Nancy's tastes fresh and is always delicious. They don't taste like some frozen food with that well, frozen taste. And the crusts on those quiche! Oh lawsy, it's flaky and buttery and just all-around yummalicious, as my 7 year old says.

The Petite Quiche are so handy as well because if you're stuck home on a snowy day and don't feel like eating SpaghettiO's and vienna sausages with the kids for lunch you can just put a quiche (or seven) in the oven and leave the rest for a different snowy day!

MomCentral was kind enough to send me a coupon for a FREE 12-count box of any Nancy's Appetizer - and they sent one for one of you, too! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment and tell me if your family has a traditional Christmas dinner with ham, turkey and all the trimmings or if y'all are more a potluck or sandwiches type group. We're potluck all the way and Nancy's Appetizers always make an appearance!

You can enter until Monday at 9am, so leave your comment and tell your friends! Make sure you leave a valid email in your comment so I can contact you if you win!

"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Nancy’s Appetizers and received 2 coupons to facilitate my review and a $20 thank-you gift certificate."

I *heart* cereal

We are a big cereal-eatin' family around here, especially now that basketball practices have started and those coincide with little theatre practices. There are a lot of evenings we just grab a bowl of cereal before practice and then try to eat something resembling a meal afterward. It's a glamorous life we lead, lemme tell ya.

That all being said, I am a pretty picky cereal eater and have passed that snootiness down to my children. There are only a handful of cereals we will eat. MomCentral offered up a review of the new fiber-added Kellogg's Apple Jacks and Froot Loops and I jumped seeing as how Froot Loops are one of my favorites! I was tickled when I found out we were getting Froot Loops AND Apple Jacks to try!

The day the box came in the mail Conner, my cousin's baby, got his little toy screwdriver and tried valiantly to open the box to get at the goodies inside. When I finally helped him and we opened it to expose the cereal-y treasures inside he looked at the box, looked at me, looked at the box and whispered, "Wow." I totally agreed. He chose Apple Jacks first. I, however, chose Froot Loops. We were both silent for many minutes as we partook of the joyous delights - and increased the fiber in our diets quiet tastily!

9 out of 10 kids - and adults! - lack enough fiber in their diets. In fact, most people only get HALF of what they need when it comes to daily fiber. Kelloggs understands how difficult it is to increase a child's intake because, well, frankly no one's come up with a way to make fiber fun and delicious - until now. Apple Jacks and Froot Loops now have three grams of fiber per serving! These cereals include ingredients such as whole-grain corn flour, whole-grain oat flour, oat fiber and soluble corn fiber. They also plan to extend the added fiber benefits to their other cereal lines over the next year. Maybe I won't avoid the cereal aisle so much anymore...

I decided to set up a little taste test in my kitchen and unbeknownst to them, my kids were the guinea pigs, I mean subjects. I had received two boxes of Apple Jacks WITH fiber and a box of Froot Loops with and a box without added fiber. The kids had absolutely no idea there was any difference in the Froot Loops with or without fiber and frankly, I can't tell either. They have already devoured both boxes of Apple Jacks with fiber as well. YAY! I can now feel slightly better about throwing a bowl of cereal at the kids on the way out the door for practices and rehearsals knowing that I am giving them something more nutritionally sound. Score one for me - and Kellogg's!

"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Kellogg’s and received boxes of Froot Loops and Apple Jacks and a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate."

Lakeshore Christmas

I don't get to read as much as I used to. Before I had kids it was nothing for me to read several books in a week, but as my kids were born and I became a stay-at-home mom I found my reading time limited to Dr. Seuss books and Goodnight Moon. Now that my kids are older I have more time to read again (Oh, basketball practice, how I love thee!), but I'm having to develop the habit all over again. I'd never signed up for a book tour from MotherTalk before and thought that the book, Lakeshore Christmas, sounded like as good a place as any to start.

Now, normally I shy away from romance stories because they tend to frustrate me and make me wish my life was as romantic and ooey-gooey as the characters' in the story, but since this story was a Christmas romance I deemed it worthy of my hardened heart. The story takes place in Avalon, aka Smalltown, America, and centers around the librarian, Maureen Davenport, a staunch supporter and lover of all things Christmas and her task of producing the town's annual Christmas play. She's the quintessential librarian, complete with two cats and her hair in a tight bun, and likes her life to be uncomplicated and simple. Enter former child star Eddie Haven who turns her world upside down as he helps her with the play - and in the process helps her find her heart. Sprinkle into the story a crisis that could leave the town without a library, a couple of side stories about other citizens of Avalon and a mysterious boy named Jabez and you really have yourself a wonderful holiday read by the fire.

While the story was a little hard to get into for me, as it wound on I became more involved in the characters I was so caught up in the town's people and their lives and their dramas I found the book hard to put down. My husband has a new work schedule on the weekends so one weekend after I got him off to work at 4am I managed to get so caught up in the story before I knew it the sun was up and so were my kids!

I didn't realize until after I finished it that this book is part of the Lakeshore Chronicles series, but I had no problem getting involved with the characters, so it's evident that the story can also be read as a stand-alone novel. I have every intention of looking into more books by the author, Susan Wiggs, and reading the rest of the Lakeshore Chronicles.

Next time there's a forecast of snow, go check out this book (or better yet buy it!), pour yourself a cup of hot chocolate, grab your favorite blanket, curl up in the window seat and enjoy Lakeshore Christmas.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by MotherTalk on behalf of Lakeshore Christmas and received a copy of the book to facilitate my candid review. In addition, Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Crazy for Some Crazy Love

I am a cuh-razy fan of Michael Buble', so when One2One Network offered up a review of his new CD "Crazy Love" I just about drove to their home office and sat outside with a sandwich board on offering my services. I really do love me some Buble'.

This new CD is my favorite of all of them - and trust me, I have all of them. It features his newest single "Haven't Met You Yet" which is just an endearing little song about the love of our life who, if we haven't already found them, is out there, even if we just don't know who it is yet. My favorite song from the CD is "Hold On" which brings me to tears every time I hear it. And "Georgia on My Mind"? Yeah. I melt. There's only one song I'm not crazy about and that's "Heartache Tonight" and I think it's only because it's an Eagles song and really, no one should mess with Eagles songs. Period. (No offense, Michael.)

The stops were pulled out for this CD and as always, Michael's voice is swoon-rendering and can make even the hardest of hearts flutter. I also like the pairings he's done on this album with artists Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Naturally 7 and Ron Sexsmith. All of them wonderful.

Here's the tracklist:

Album Tracklisting:
1. Cry Me A River
2. All Of Me
3. Georgia On My Mind
4. Crazy Love
5. Haven't Met You Yet
6. All I Do Is Dream Of You
7. Hold On
8. Heartache Tonight
9. You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You
10. Baby (You've Got What It Takes)
11. At This Moment
12. Stardust
13. Whatever It Takes (bonus track)

Make sure to check out Michael's website: www.michaelbuble.com and here's the link to that new video that you just have to go see RIGHT NOW. I MEAN IT.

Well, after you go buy this CD. And then call me so we can spend the evening hot rolling our hair, gossiping and giggling over how cute he is.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by One2One Network and received a CD in exchange for my review.

Harry, Baby!

A few weeks ago we watched the movie New in Town with Renee Zellweger and Harry Connick Jr. The movie itself could've been a big ol' bunch of stink (it wasn't, by the way - totally wasn't) but I'd have watched it no matter what because of Harry Connick Jr. Heck, I'd have watched Borat if Harry Jr. would've been in it. He's just some serious eye candy. So naturally, when One2One Network offered HCJ's new CD Your Songs for review, I jumped. I'm a sucker for a man with a voice like that. A total sucker.

This CD is just chock full of his swoon-inducing voice covering some of the great oldies and not so oldies (I refuse to consider Billy Joel songs "oldies"):

Album Tracklisting (Originally performed by):

All The Way (Frank Sinatra)
Just The Way You Are (Billy Joel)
Can’t Help Falling In Love With You (Elvis Presley)
And I Love Her (The Beatles)
(They Long To Be) Close To You (The Carpenters)
Besame Mucho
The Way You Look Tonight
First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Roberta Flack)
Your Song (Elton John)
Some Enchanted Evening
And I Love You So (Don McLean)
Who Can I Turn To? (Tony Bennett)
Smile (Charlie Chaplin)
Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole)

Eye candy and ear candy - happy cooler weather to me! This is the perfect CD to curl up on the couch and listen to while the snow falls. I can just envision me tuning out the kids on a snow day by listening to Harry Connick Jr. telling me about the first time ever he saw my face... *sigh*

Other links:
Behind the Scene look at ‘Making of’ the album: http://bit.ly/HCJrVideo
Harry’s website: http://www.harryconnickjr.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/harryconnickjr

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by One2One Network and received a CD in exchange for my review.

A Place for Moms

My kids have been back to school for nearly a month now and I still find myself struggling to get a handle on this routine. Abby's in 7th grade this year so that means she has ballgames and dances and social activities she didn't have last year and those always seem to hit me right upside the head and have me running around screaming like that kid in Home Alone. Plus Sam is in 5th grade this year - the first year of two really hard years at the kids' school. I have developed a theory that 5th and 6th grade are like boot camp for the Marines - they break them down, beat the tar out of them and teach them way more than they can process so that by 7th grade they are less likely to be sold to the gypsies by their exhausted parents who are tired of the tears (their and their child's).

All that being said, it's no wonder I feel like I could use some motherly advice. Oh, not from my mother (though hers is always helpful) but I mean for me as a mother. Mom Central came to the rescue and introduced us mom-bloggers to the MSN Homeroom website. The blog tour was set for two weeks, but with losing my Nana last week I didn't get to spend as much time as I would've liked prior to writing the review, however I have pored over the site as much as I could and bookmarked it so I can go back time and time again. You know, so I can avoid selling my kids to the gypsies as the school year continues.

I think what I liked most about the site was the brevity in all the videos and articles. We're MOMS - we don't have time to sit and read four page long articles and 30 minute videos sometimes what with all the taxi driving and homework checking we have to do! I was able to watch several little videos with great ideas and tips and because they're so short and to the point I could watch more in the limited times I had throughout the day. The moms on the site are professionals, too - an MD, a homeschooling stay-at-home mom, a child psychiatrist and a former Teacher of the Year. These gals knows their mom-ing!

There are forums for moms to bounce ideas off each other and while there seemed to be a lot of comments removed due to folks spamming or trying to advertise, the site managed to get them off kindly and quickly. I didn't participate in very many discussions, but read quite a few, gleaned a few great ideas including "ice cream and cake" for breakfast. I can't wait to try this one instead of our usual toaster pastries!

There are several topics on the site, including writing, attentiveness, giving back, and memory. All of them are relative to what moms and kids (and dads!) deal with on a daily basis. How nice to have a community to participate in discussions, gather ideas and then use the ideas to keep us from selling our kids to the gypsies - I mean, to make our children better citizens, better students and better people in general! Thanks Mom Central and MSN Mom's Homeroom!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats 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.

Shake Your Cinnabon-bon

I have a real problem with most snack bars. I'm not saying they're not good, but I find them lacking. Meaning, I want like, two. Or seven.

I have only tried actual Cinnabon cinnamon rolls once in my life and it was after having spent the night in the Kansas City airport and just before boarding a plane for Orlando. I was so tired I vaguely remember the greatness of it. That makes me sad - that I squandered away all that is Cinnabon-y goodness in a sleep-deprived stupor.

Mom Central made new Kellogg's Cinnabon Snack Bars available to try and I figured, "Hey, I'm getting ample sleep these days, why not? Maybe I can actually enjoy these." They came in the mail and I did my usual Happy Mailbox Dance of Joy when Mom Central packages arrive and then I sat the box carefully on the counter and threatened the children TO STAY AWAY FROM THE CINNABON. I'm kinda territorial like that.

The first one I tried (after holding the children at bay with an electric cattle prod) was under extreme hunger duress and all I could concentrate on was getting the package open and the food in my mouth. I kid you not, I am taking no poetic liberties or editorial privilege when I say I put a bite in my mouth, chewed, then literally stopped chewing, closed my eyes and sighed. Seriously. I was not expecting it to be that good. Shame on me for that one.

The crust is light and crumbly, the filling is rich and just the right amount of cinnamon - not too much, not too little - and the icing? Ohhhhhhh baby. It is probably ten kinds of wrong to have this kind of relationship with a snack bar, but if it's wrong I don't want to be right.

In the early morning hours a Cinnabon Snack Bar and a cup of coffee are my little bit of quiet indulgence. Okay, so it's summer and by "early morning hours" I mean, somewhere around 9:30 or 10, but hey, stop picking, you. It's still quiet and I am so indulging. And what I like best is that one is enough. They are rich enough that one makes the hungry go away and 150 calories per bar is, as my pre-teen would say, SUH-WEET. Literally.

You should go get some. Now. And then you should come share them with me - I'm out.

Big thanks to Mom Central for making this blog tour happen!

Moooooooo

I have three kids and only two of them are milk drinkers. Those two will come in from playing outside in the hot 100 degree Oklahoma summer heat and pour a big ol' tall glass of milk and chug away. And considering that my oldest is nearly 13 I am tickled that she still drinks milk with meals and hasn't developed her momma's bad sweet tea habit. That third child, unfortunately, takes after her mother and doesn't much care for milk, so when Mom Central offered the Why Milk? blog tour I jumped at it - especially after they mentioned recipes to help get your family on the dairy train.

The Why Milk? website is absolutely chock full of information. I spent some time analyzing my daily beverages and discovered that by not drinking milk I am really shortchanging myself in the vitamin department, something I guess I'd never really given much thought. I'm not saying I'm going to run in right now and drink a half-gallon of milk straight from the carton, but I am going to make a more conscious effort to include milk in my diet since I'm all like, knockin' on the ripe old age of 40's door and all. Plus, that non-dairy child of mine could use a boost as well....

Which brings me to my next paragraph: RECIPES! I am a sucker for a recipe section of a website and wasn't disappointed in the least by the selection at the Why Milk? site. Sam just got braces and a horrific, medievel-looking torture device known as a Rapid Palate Expander which basically means the little dude is on a pretty squishy diet for the next week or so. We've been trying out smoothie recipes for a week or so and we've all decided that the Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cup smoothie is DA BOMB and even little Kady No-Milk likes it! And Berry Dairy Dream? Ohhhhhhh yeah. It's my personal favorite. Soup-er Creamy Veggie Soup is on the list for when the weather cools off because here in Oklahoma I think it's state law you can't eat soup when the temperatures outside are this close to boiling.

I think the Why Milk? website is great and am so glad Mom Central partnered up with the Milk Council to bring this blog tour around. I wasn't aware a website about milk could be so informative, to be honest. I worry about my youngest's milk intake and am going to work harder to "sneak" some milk into her diet - thanks to the Why Milk? website I'm armed and ready!

I Wanna Rock! (Beware: the words "awesome" and "rock" are well overused in this post)

This past Christmas my son, Sam, got a dual-guitar Guitar Hero pack for the Wii and since then I have discovered that I am freakin' AWESOME. I mean, most of you already knew I was awesome to begin with, but I AM EVEN AWESOMER NOW because I can hold my own against Slash in a face-off and I can do it in my pajamas. Once, when Mom and Pops were over and Tater and I were duelling, Mom said, "Oh look, honey, Kristin thinks she's playing a real guitar! Isn't she cute?" Well, she was just discovering my awesome-ness, that's all.

All that being said, when MomCentral sent out the call for moms who wanted to review Guitar Hero On Tour for Nintendo DS I was SO. THERE. And since we own more than one Nintendo DS we got TWO - Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades and Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits - to try out. Unfortunately, for them anyway, the two older kids just happened to get their DS's taken away for fighting the morning they came in the mail, so that meant Kady and I had complete reign over the games for two whole days. I probably don't need to tell you how awesome we are and just how much we rocked out.

And before I go further - anything that includes Tenacious D is gold, baby. GOLD.

The games come with a fret adapter that has the colored fret keys like you find on a Guitar Hero guitar. Instead of using a regular ol' boring stylus, Guitar Hero for Nintendo DS comes with a "pick". Oh yes. And it's awesome. You plug the fret adapter into the DS, pop in the game card, grab your pick and proceed to get busy. I like the fact that with two DS's you can use wireless magic to duel. I totally kicked my 7 year old's butt on more than one occasion. I also managed to kick her butt while she was in the 3rd row seat of the van and I was rockin' it in the front seat. (No, I wasn't driving. Her daddy was driving, pretending he didn't know the strange woman sitting next to him strumming like a madwoman.) The wireless option is also convenient when the kids are fighting, but don't want to play themselves - they can sit in their own rooms and kick their siblings' rear end without having to look at them. Hey, it's summer and I'm a stay-at-home mom. I will take relief and peace however I can get it.

The only thing I found that was not 100% awesome about the game is that if you tend to get a little uhm....into your game the adapter has a tendency to slip out, causing the screens to go black and thus causing you to shriek and scream and force yourself to hold back tears. Or maybe that's just me with the tears.... I read in another review that she had the same problem until she just quit using the strap that holds your hand securely to the adapter. I haven't tried not using the strap yet, but logically it seems that that might work.

I think the games are great. Sam had been wanting to get one for awhile and I was leary about it, not sure how playing guitar on a hand-held game would work, but after trying Guitar Hero On Tour for Nintendo DS, I can say that it really does, indeed, rock. Literally.

Many, many thanks to MomCentral for hookin' me and my kiddos up with two games to try!

Skinny is yummy

I am not a big ice cream fan, but I have a tween who loves ice cream more than she loves shoes and that is a LOT. (When I told her that I had been chosen to be a part of the Skinny Cow blog tour from MomCentral the child did a cartwheel. Seriously.) Now, please don't misunderstand me - I may not be a big fan of ice cream in general but don't you dare deny me access to ice cream sandwiches when I get a hankerin' for one. Just don't.

My sister actually discovered Skinny Cows when she started Weight Watchers several years ago because the chocolate and vanilla ice cream sandwiches are have 2 Points apiece. The woman had a deep, meaningful relationship with Skinny Cows that year. I was skeptical about them because, well, let's just be honest: Sometimes low-fat food doesn't taste all that great. Either it's got a funky whang to it or it's devoid of all flavor. That is not the case with Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches. I really do like them! They don't taste any different than regular ice cream sandwiches in my opinion. Each sandwich has 140 calories and 2 grams fat - in my mind it's guilt-free indulgence! The diet experts say you have to treat yourself occasionally - Skinny Cow products allow you to treat yourself AND stay on track!

It's heating up here in Oklahoma and let me tell ya, trying to find your favorite flavor of ice cream is difficult, so the day we took the coupons to Walmart the only flavor ice cream sandwich available was vanilla. No worries. I hadn't backed my van out of the parking space before the kids had already broken into a package and were scarfing them down. They seemed satisfied. Now, because I am a mother I have learned that keeping my mouth shut is essential when it comes to food and children. I waited until the last drip of ice cream was licked from the last finger before I asked the kids how they liked their low-fat treats. A few seconds of silence ensued while they decided if they still liked what they had just devoured or if they were going to get all weird about it. The unanimous decision was WHO CARES.

We managed to demolish the two packages in a matter of about 28.3 hours and today when we got about halfway home from grocery shopping Sam whined, "Mom! We forgot the Skinny Cows!" So we'll be making another quick trip into Walmart to pick up more this evening.

Thanks to Skinny Cow for making watching our weight a little easier and tastier!

And thanks to MomCentral for the opportunity to try out the treats!

Ragu to you, too!

From the time my kids were little their favorite thing to eat has been spaghetti. It used to drive my mom crazy that I'd just dump their spaghetti on their highchair tray and let 'em go at it - she said they would grow up to be savages. I'm happy to report, though, that none of them wear loincloths and they all three know how to use a fork. Savages, HA! I just taught them how to really enjoy their food.

And speaking of enjoying food, when MomCentral sent out the call for volunteers to try out Ragu's two newest flavors - Sweet Tomato Basil and Margherita - I put down my loincloth and signed right up. The store was out the first time I tried to buy them and then here in northeast Oklahoma we had to start drawing up a blueprint for an ark and lining up the animals in pairs, so I've been behind schedule on trying them out and then posting about them, but I'm happy to report I'm back in the saddle again and we have scrapped our ark-building plans.

Let me just be completely honest when I say that normally I buy the cheap spaghetti sauce and then doctor it up to make it taste good. I probably spend more in spices than I would to just buy Ragu, but I'm rather daft that way sometimes. It was so refreshing to make spaghetti and not have to do anything more than pour in the sauce and serve it. We opted to use the Margherita on our spaghetti and then we sampled the Sweet Tomato Basil with some cheese bread. The kids loved the Margherita and I've gotta say, it was my favorite, too. It was rich and thick and everyone had seconds. I froze the remainder of the Sweet Tomato Basil to use the next time I make my Party Pasta Bowl. The Ragu website also has recipe suggestions and meal planning ideas to help us busy ark-building mothers.

And even though my children may be borderline savages, they had over a full serving of veggies every time they ate a serving of Ragu the other night. That made me happy since only one of them is a vegetable lover - the other are very anti-veggie. Savages, indeed.

Thanks to Ragu for making something as simple as pasta sauce healthier for my crew and thanks to MomCentral for making this blog tour available!

And now I'm off to herd those dang animals back to the wild....

Mildew - EW

MomCentral sent out the email for the X-14 Mold & Mildew Stain Remover blog tour just about the time that I had waged war on the mildew stains in my two showers.

The main bathroom is a veritable Woodstock for mildew with a propensity to party hardy because there is no window, no ventilation. Like, peace, love and mildew, man. In other words, it's disgusting.

Abby's bathroom is Mildew Central because well, she's 12. She is the child that just last week found a petrified piece of popcorn chicken in her dresser drawer and thought it was hilarious that I freaked out. All I can say is, I hope she either does a whole lot of changing before she becomes an adult or that her husband is a very tolerant person who enjoys cleaning.

When I finished doing the Happy Mailbox Dance (packages from MomCentral always induce the dance) I waged war on the mildew in my bathrooms.

I had just attacked the week earlier with another major name brand bleach-based cleaner with very poor results. Oh sure, the stains faded some, but I wanted them GONE. To be honest, I was skeptical that X-14 could do any better - HOWEVER, X-14 Mold & Mildew Stain Remover has a bleach level that is generally 60% higher than similar products on the market. And let me tell you something:

The mildew is gone. As in GONE. No more. And I'm incredibly impressed at how they are staying gone. The packaging boasts that surfaces will stay stain-free for up to two weeks. So far, I have yet to see the stains come back. The mildew hippies must've known how mad I was. Now, be warned, the higher level of bleach in X-14 Mold & Mildew Stain Remover means that the smell of bleach is well, about 60% stronger (if I were a betting woman). I highly recommend using fans and open windows when using it.

All in all, I'm giving it two very non-mildewy thumbs up. Thanks to MomCentral for making my bathrooms happier places!

Twisty - a review

MomCentral once again made a super blog tour available to us reviewers - Eggo Bake Shop Twists. When I was telling my cousin Courtney about getting ready to review two of the flavors she said, "It's from Eggo so it's bound to be good." She was right.

I was sent coupons for two free boxes, one strawberry and one apple. I made one of each flavor, cut them into pieces and then set the plate in the middle of the floor and backed away slowly as my family jumped on it like a bunch of hungry wolverines. Pastry in my house is always cause for excitement.

Sam declined to particpate in the review seeing as how he's insanely picky and completely unopen to trying new things, but of the four of us wolverines who partook, the general consensus is that the strawberry is the best. I personally prefer the apple, so YAY the remaining three in the package of apple flavor are all mine.

The pastry is fluffy and rich, the filling is just the right amount and it doesn't get much easier than 25 seconds in the microwave. I do think that $2 for a package of four is a little more indulgent than I tend to get for breakfast pastry, so I'll probably just hide the next package I buy in the back of the freezer and break 'em out after the kids go to school. They can continue eating generic cereal like always. I'm giving like that.

Big thanks to MomCentral for the coupons and the opportunity to try Eggo Bake Shop Twists!

Pain-free and Germ-free - my two favorite frees!

When MomCentral sent out the email for the NEOSPORIN® blog tour, this interesting fact was included: 40% of homes have an expired topical antibiotic in the medicine cabinet. Reading this prompted me to immediately go to the medicine cabinet and check.

My NEOSPORIN® expired in 2006. The tube in the first aid kit in the van? Expired in 2004.

Yes. I am serious.

Of course, I internally wrestled with the decision - throw it out now or wait for my free samples to arrive in the mail? I mean, what if all three kids suddenly had bike wrecks that afternoon and needed wound care? Then I realized, if the tube I had in my hand had expired in 2006 it probably wasn't going to do anyone much good anyway, so I tossed it.

A few days later my brand new, totally not expired samples came in the mail and I was ready to take on splinters, bike wrecks, skinned knees and any other minor cut, scrape or bump that might occur. The box of samples from MomCentral and Johnson's included a tube each of NEOSPORIN® + Pain Relief Ointment and Cream AND a handy dandy NEO TO GO!® First Aid Antiseptic/Pain Relieving Spray. At the risk of sounding WAY too excited about a pain relieving/antiseptic product, I am going to say this - THIS STUFF IS AMAZING! I mean, everyone knows that NEOSPORIN® is the best way to prevent infection in minor cuts and scrapes but the + pain relief is a total bonus, especially for minor burns.

Last Saturday Kady went to a birthday party at a gym for kids that beheld seven - yes SEVEN - gigantic blow-up bouncy things on which the children bounced and bounced and bounced and bounced....you get it, right? Well, in addition to the bouncing, there was also friction burning. Kady came running to me with tears in her eyes, holding her arm out going, "IT BURNS! OWOWOWOWOWOWOWWWWW!" My initial thought was to get a wet paper towel for her to hold on it, but then I remembered my NEO TO GO!® I whipped it out of my purse, sprayed her arm and sent her on her way. I sprayed her four more times before we left the gym and every time she was instantly soothed. This past week we went on vacation and Paul got a splinter in his hand at the zoo. After I pulled out the splinter I sprayed it with my NEO TO GO!® Oh, and Sam's hangnail? Yeah, I sprayed it, too.

I am unstoppable.

I am the keeper away-er of pain and germs.

I am Mom.

I have NEOSPORIN® and I'm not afraid to use it.

I challenge you, dear readers, to go to your medicine cabinet right now and check your tubes of NEOSPORIN®. If they are expired, TOSS THEM and go buy some new tubes along with a NEO TO GO!® for your purse. Then you, too, can be the unstoppable keeper away-er of pain and germs. We could even get capes.

Thanks to Johnson's and MomCentral for the samples and the wake-up call to check my medicine cabinet!

Mmmmmm fresh!

We have three kids and we live in the country, plus there are always extra kids running in and out of our house at any given time. Friday I think there were 8 of the little hooligans in my yard and in the house. I say "I think" because really, with that many why bother to keep count?

Needless to say, my carpet is in need of a pick-me-up from time to time; maybe more often than I need one. When MomCentral sent out the call for people to test and review Carpet Fresh Carpet & Room Odor Eliminator I couldn't wait to jump on the chance. The first time I used it I sprayed it on the living room and entryway carpet just before I went to bed on a night Paul was working until midnight. He woke me up to ask why the house smelled so good. Now, I could take it that our house is normally stinky, but I prefer to just take it that he admired my mad housekeeping skills and actually noticed I'd done something. Yeah.

The sample I received from MomCentral is the Morning Rain scent and it's a nice spring-y scent, not too overwhelming and very clean-smelling. I will be buying more because I think I may have developed an addiction. It's a quick-dry foam, a feature I love because with an 8 month old sitting, laying, scooting and otherwise drooling on my floor 5 days out of the week I don't have time to sit and hold him for a couple of hours while some smell-good stuff dries on my carpet. In fact, I was amazed at how quickly it dries! It says you can "Just spray and walk away!" and really? You can! I don't always have time to vacuum, but I do have a few extra seconds (occasionally) to spray my carpet and give my house a little burst of fragrance.

Make sure you check out the website, investigate the fragrances and then download a coupon for your very own can of Carpet Fresh Carpet & Room Odor Eliminator!

Thanks for MomCentral for making this blog tour available and sending out a sample!

Wow! Wow! Winner!

Because I had a whopping TWO entries in the last drawing I will give away TWO copies of the Wubbzy! DVD. One is missing the shrink-wrap because we watched it to review it, but hey, as long as you're not picky, it's yours. I already emailed Blondie, but Brenda S., I need you to zip me an email with your mailing address and I'll zip you off a copy of the DVD, too!

Congrats to you both and thanks for being such a great - albeit small - audience!

Wow! Wow! Review-zy! And give-zy!

Being a stay-at-home mom for over 12 years now I have become acquainted with my share of children's programming. My kids are getting older now and they're a bit harder to entertain. I'll be honest, when I got the email that I was chosen to be part of the Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! blog tour for MomCentral I was probably more excited than most 36 year olds should be. Really, the baby just loves Nick Jr. Really. The baby. *cough* But I knew that the real test would be getting the bigger kids excited. Instantly, the 12 year old opted out. Hey, that's understandable what with all the angst and drama coming from her very core of existence. When the DVDs came in the mail I did the happy mailbox dance. Again. (MomCentral just does that to me.)


Then we got the flu. No one felt like doing anything other than whining about being alive in such a pitiful state. Wubbzy was, for a time, forgotten. *cue sad abandonment music*


But today Nonner and I decided to put the DVD for some uninterrupted viewing time. Okay, really the 8 month old had nothing to do with the decision... Anyway, he loved it. And y'all? So did I. I couldn't help but sing along and man, did I suddenly feel the urge to play some kickity kick ball.

We were into the second episode on the DVD when the five school kids got off the bus. I held my breath to see if the living room would be empty after they devoured their snacks. Of course, the 12 year old took her Froot by the Foot and headed for her room, but the other four were hooked.
The 7 year old was singing along and dancing and Sam, who is 10, said, "Hey, this is really pretty good. Ya know...for a kid show." (He gave it a hearty 8 out of 10, which I thought was pretty good from a 4th grade dude.)


A Little Help From My Friends is the title of the DVD, which features six episodes involving Wubbzy and his friends that cover social skills such as getting along with others, confidence, learning to accept help, teamwork and of course, friendship. The songs are catchy and I just really was impressed with how much was on the DVD. Also, be sure to check out the website for games and activities and more information the show itself, which airs on Nick Jr. and Noggin. There's also a "Wubblog" - can it get any better?


Actually, yes it can - because the kind folks at MomCentral sent me an extra copy to give away! All you have to do to enter to win A Little Help From My Friends is leave a comment. I'm not even gonna make you jump through a hoop and answer a question (it's the germs - they've softened my hard heart). However, make sure you leave a way for me to get hold of you if the accounting firm of Diva and Associates chooses you to be the lucky winner of this Wubbalicious DVD! Tell your friends! Link to this post and get an extra entry - just make sure you leave me the link. Comments and the contest will close Monday, February 23rd and I'll announce the winner that afternoon.


Thanks for MomCentral for the DVDs and this great blog tour!

Staying Safe

Like my momma always said: You can never be too careful. Actually I don't remember my momma saying that an awful lot, but that's beside the point. It's still good advice.

And now that I'm a momma myself and I have three school-age kids who are pretty net-savvy I find myself saying and thinking that phrase pretty often. We have a computer that is pretty much set up just for the kids. They are monitored on it and can only go to sites approved by me. But still....they need to be armed with information that they'll use even when I'm not around. Because their friends have computers, too and strangely, I'm not invited to slumber parties anymore. They're so closed-minded that way.

At Abby's high school in recent weeks a group of girls got in major trouble with the DA and even the FBI when their hate page on the web went too far. Kids need to know that behavior like that is cyber-bullying and not acceptable. Back when I was a kid the only bullying we dealt with was the big kids in the back of the bus or the occasional mean girl in the locker room. Now kids are getting threatened and embarrassed and brutalized online as well - online where we parents aren't necessarily watching over them all the time.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has set up a website to educate tweens and teens on internet safety. NSTeens is just for teens and tweens with comics and videos to watch about keeping themselves safe, what to do about cyberbullying and how much information is too much to share online. The characters in the videos and comics have bios that let them seem more real and personal to kids. Abby, my tween, declared it "cool". Do you really need more of an endorsement than that?

Thanks, MomCentral, for letting us know about this informative website!

C is for Cookie

Those of you who have read my other blog for awhile know that I used to be a Girl Scout leader back in the day. When Abby was a 2nd grader and on up to 5th grade we met every Tuesday and talked badges and manners and crafts and community service and most importantly, once a year we sold .....

COOKIES!

I was a Girl Scout from 1st grade up until I was a Sophomore so I did my share of cookie-selling as a kid and then managed and organized and watched helplessly as my house turned into a Keebler tree gone wrong as an adult. But man, it was worth it. The girls learned networking skills and I was bound and determined that my daughter would learn to count back change just like my momma taught me when I was a mere 4th grader.

While we're no longer involved in Girl Scouts, I do wholeheartedly believe in the organization and what it does to empower and strengthen the women of the future - our daughters.

That being said, The Oklahoma College Savings Plan website is running a campaign allowing Oklahomans everywhere to vote for their favorite Girl Scout cookie flavor.

(Don't tell the Samoas, but I voted for the Tagalongs. I couldn't help it. The power of peanut butter is strong with that one.)

When you get to the ballot page you can read "speeches" by each cookie, extolling their very own virtues and why they deserve to be Oklahoma's Favorite Cookie.

In a recent press release Oklahoma State Treasurer, Scott Meacham, says,

"Oklahomans have until March 31, 2009 to cast their vote on the Oklahoma CollegeSavings Plan website. The winning cookie will be announced on early April in a ceremony at the State Capital and the Girl Scout who sells the most cookies in Oklahoma will win $1,000 towards an Oklahoma College Savings Plan. The sales contest ends on March 31, 2009."

So not only will a cookie forever claim bragging rights to being da bomb, but a Girl Scout gets money for college! Everyone's a winner.

Check out the Oklahoma College Savings Plan website and cast your vote for Tagalongs your favorite cookie today!

Clean is Green!

When MomCentral sent out the email for this blog tour I couldn't click the sign-up link quick enough. I have recently started using GreenWorks products here at the house and wanted to tell everyone about them!

I am a wee bit OCD, ya know, and loves me some cleaning products. I recently bought the GreenWorks glass and surface cleaner and fell in love with it. So naturally (Get it? Naturally?)the next thing would be to get MORE GreenWorks products. I bought a canister of the wipes and oh goodness gracious the cleaning I did that day! The wipes are strong and they get sticky Koolade drips off the kitche counter and hairspray buildup on the bathroom vanity and the gunk from the inside of the microwave and they basically kick butt and take names.

The only thing I would change about the wipes would be to make them disinfecting as well, but whaddaya know - the website says they are working on that! Leave it to Clorox to come up with a product that is effective and good for the environment! And well on its way to KILLING GERMS. They have MY vote!

Thanks for Clorox for not disapointing and thanks for MomCentral for making this tour available!

Drugs.com

Any time my kids go spend the night with Tater or my mom they both sigh when I pull out the gallon size ziplock bag full of my kids' medications. I can't help it that one has chronic allergies, one has asthma and the other has GERD! That's the way God made 'em, is how I look at it.

That being said, the site Drugs.com is my new best friend. It's an informative website chock full of prescription and over-the-counter medication information - even herbal supplements. There's a "pill-finder" feature where you can browse by pill color and shape, you know, in the event you find a rogue pill somewhere in the house and need to identify it. There's also useful medical information and news as well.

The best part of the site, however, is MedNotes. It's a great way to keep all my kids' medication information in one place and it's also helpful in researching medications. You can list all current medications and their dosages, past medications, conditions and allergies and the thing I liked the best - you can print a pocket-sized report of all medications, allergies and conditions for each person listed. Kady's the asthmatic and I printed off her report and stuck it in her backpack with her inhaler so if, God forbid, she ever has an attack at school and her very understanding and aware teacher isn't available, whoever is close can look at that report and see what she needs and what's going on.

The site will also email me when the FDA issues a statement or warning about any of the meds the kids take. To me, this is just peace of mind.

Thanks to MomCentral for turning me onto this website!