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So it’s officially been a year since we received our year supply of Ronzoni pasta from the photo contest I won. I have to admit that we have not finished all the boxes. I thought we would, surely. But it is not so. We still have pasta coming out our ears. We even donated some to a local food shelter!

Nevertheless, my son is still happy eating his swirly pasta. You would think a year of the stuff would change his tastes, but not so, he still loves it!

Here’s to winning another contest for a year’s supply of ….. ?

What would you like a year’s supply of for your home or kitchen?

Is there any other time of year than Christmas when gift cards are in such high demand? Whether because of convenience or indecisiveness, or a host of other reasons, they certainly make it easy to catch up on any last minute gifts.

Since our house has been stuck with the flu since last week, I haven’t had time to get out and do much shopping for non-immediate family members. That means quick solutions are needed, and now. One new option for gift cards is the First Data eGift Social application. It’s a quick new way to send your friends real gifts from their favorite stores. In just a few easy steps you can send a gift and your friend will be notified in real time, either on Facebook or by e-mail. They no longer have to keep track of all their gift cards or even carry them at all times: a simple code that can be redeemed at any location means your recipient can pull up their activation code on their phone or online to use no matter where they live.

egift social gift cards 670x279 Finish Your Holiday Shopping in Minutes with eGift Social

Think of the time and gas you could save, not to mention stress, by being able to pick out a general gift card to any number of stores, or by choosing something a little more specific from a store… something like Hope in a Jar at Sephora.egift social gift cards Finish Your Holiday Shopping in Minutes with eGift Social

Vintage Cowgirl on Pinto 445x600 Finish Your Holiday Shopping in Minutes with eGift SocialI got a chance to try out being on the receiving end of an eGift gift card and I have to admit that it was exciting, even though I knew it was coming. Today I got out of the house for the first time all week and redeemed my gift card for the cutest pair of brown cowboy boots. It was a bit of a splurge, but I decided that was what gift cards are for. I was concerned redemption might be difficult if salespeople don’t know about the new service, but I didn’t have any issues at all, even with the busy holiday lines. Just handed over my printed out copy of the gift card, the salesperson entered it in, and voila, the boots were mine.

If you’re still scrambling for those last few gifts, check out eGift social on Facebook and see what they’ve got in store for you!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of First Data and received an eGift gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that I’m a Josh Groban fan… who isn’t? He’s one of a select few performers I’ve actually seen live and it was a memorable event. What an amazing gift he has… a voice so amazing that he keeps it simple… without the flash and fanfare of so many other stars.

I was thrilled to hear that he’s been giving back to local school music programs. Specifically through the Bing “Our School Needs” program. He visited a local middle school in Queens, NY to drop off brand new musical instruments and participate in chorus class as part of the “Our School Needs” campaign kick-off.

josh groban bing local schools Josh Groban Gives to Local Schools

You can get involved and help your local school. I know our daughter’s school is in desperate need of funds since they are a new school. They have to charge the kids and parents for anything extra that comes up, whether it’s the school play your kids are in or to vote for homecoming court. Now is your chance to give back in a big way.

VOTE NOW! Here are the contest details:

* Bing is awarding a quarter-million dollars in prize money divided among four schools.
* The entry with the most votes wins $100k, and 3 others will each win $50k.
* Bing is giving away up to $900,000 to schools in need through DonorsChoose.org.
* Voting runs through Sunday, November 7.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Bing and received a gift card and DonorsChoose.org giving code to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Healthy Smoothies Kids Love

Tasra Dawson —  September 4, 2010 — 2 Comments

berry smoothie Healthy Smoothies Kids LoveWhen we moved to Georgia nearly two years ago, one of the things we missed was Jamba Juice. Jamba Juice is everywhere in Northern California and was a fun part of hot afternoons after a walk to the park. When we moved and found out Jamba Juice doesn’t exist in Georgia, we started making our own fruit smoothies. It was pretty easy and more affordable.

When I discovered NutraSea, a fish oil supplement with a yummy berry flavor just for kids, I was able to take our homemade Jamba Juice to a whole new level of healthiness. Now, not only does my little one get a healthy dose of fruit and yogurt, he also gets a jump start with healthy bones, teeth and mental function, according to research on EPA, GLA and DHA. Now that’s something a mom can feel good about!

NutraSea is recommended for children two to thirteen years old and if any of your children have fish allergies you should consult your doctor before using NutraSea. It’s an ideal food supplement for optimal health and well-being. NutraSea Kids also contains GLA, and omega-6 which has been scientifically proven to be beneficial for early childhood development.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of NutraSea Kids campaign and received NutraSea samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Now that the kids are headed back to school, have you thought of going back yourself? I have. I actually love school and the entire education setting. I guess that’s not a real surprise since I was a teacher. But perhaps surprising that I’d consider going back for more.

Even though I have my teaching certificate and Masters degree in Education, I’ve thought of enrolling in some courses on photography and business. For me it’s not about having another degree, but about the accountability that a teacher and class provide. My friend and colleague, Katrina Wheeler frequently shares with me about the projects she is working on for school and it makes me want to dive back in myself.

One place that offers easy enrollment is American Public University. It’s an online university with online courses, which makes it practical for busy women balancing schedules. Their classes are flexible, affordable and credible. APU has even created a special landing page just for moms!

They are even hosting some live chats with other moms who’ve taken the plunge…

Helenjene Curtis: Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
Tuesday, August 24 at 8 p.m. ET

Jenn Deater: Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality Management
Thursday, August 26 at 12:00 p.m. ET

What do you think? Have you given it any thought? If you could go back to school, what would you study?

moms banner 700x208 Moms Go Back to School

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of American Public University. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Disney has created the coolest set of educational videos to teach kids about being safe in and around the pool. They’re using Timon and Pumba from the Lion King to narrate, which keeps kids attention and makes it fun to learn. I love that!

I remember growing up and going to the local community pool. There was always a lifeguard on duty and I remember the two most important rules…

  1. No running
  2. Don’t pee in the pool

Consequences for the first one was crab walking around the entire pool in front of everyone. Perfect, embarrass kids enough that they’ll never do it again. The second one was the threat of the blue ink showing everyone you peed in the pool. No one knew if it was true and no one wanted to find out.

Some other pool safety tips…Wild About Safety2 Wild About Safety in the Pool

  • Supervision is a must. Follow the 10/20 rule when you’re at the pool. The 10/20 rule states the supervising adult needs to position themselves to be able to scan the pool every 10 seconds, and reach the water within 20 seconds.
  • Always have rescue devices, such as UL-LISTED life preservers, nearby.
  • Flotation devices, toys and inflatable swimming aids are not safety devices. They are toys and can easily puncture and deflate.
  • Always drain wading pools after children are done playing. Infants can drown in just a few inches of water.
  • Have a telephone nearby and appropriate emergency numbers posted.
  • Remove all toys when you leave the pool.

How do you teach your kids about pool safety? Why not show them the Safety Smart Disney video and let them have fun while they learn!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Underwriters Laboratories. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Do you know what I’m alluding to with the title? Tree Top Apple Juice and Applesauce… yum.

Mom Central sent me some samples of their apple juice and applesauce so I could participate in a blog tour campaign on behalf of Tree Top. I love working with Mom Central because I always get to choose which blog tours I join and I only choose to participate in the ones I know I can fully support (I also received a gift card for taking the time to participate).

I remember growing up we had apple trees in our backyard and my mom would make homemade applesauce. I have to tell you that I did not like that homemade applesauce. Sometimes it had the skin of the apples in it and it was never sweet enough. I loved when I got to go to someone else’s house and they had the store-bought kind like Tree Top… then I would eat plenty of it. Just don’t tell my mom though… she really tried.

Now, apple juice and applesauce, who can’t get behind that? My kids LOVE it! When I got the box of samples, they didn’t last two minutes in my house. I wanted to try them in a recipe or use them as a secret ingredient so I could enter it in the contest Tree Top is having, but it was too late… my family beat me to them. My son grabbed the applesauce, my daughter the juice, and my hubby the new Trim drink. Guess I know what to get next time I go to the store!

You can get some too and use it as a secret ingredient in a new recipe. Then enter the Tree Top recipe challenge to win a trip to the Big Apple! Click on the image below for more details.

tree top applesauce recipe contest Swinging in the Tree Tops

BroccoliSoup Fix It & Forget It Meals with Uncle BenNow that I’m on my 75-DAY SPRINT TO THE FINISH, I’ve had to figure out how to get more home-cooked meals made quick and easy. Not only that, but I’ve got my diet plan, my daughters, and still have to feed my hubby and son. Along came the Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook Fix It & Forget It Meals with Uncle Ben Revised and Updated with over 700 slow cooker recipes. Combine that with some amazing Uncle Ben’s whole grain brown rice and I’m set for a week.

If you’re looking for an easy way to streamline your meal prep, this cookbook combined with some good old-fashioned rice from Uncle Ben’s will do the trick. My favorite recipe is on page 73… Cream of Broccoli Soup with only 6 ingredients. Gotta love that.

I actually improvised a bit on this to make it heartier and to make it last longer, so I added the traditional whole grain brown rice which takes about 40 minutes to cook. Once I made the soup in the slow cooker, I added the cooked rice to make a hearty dinner that lasts a whole week.

uncle bens Fix It & Forget It Meals with Uncle BenHere are the ingredients:

  1. 1 small onion chopped
  2. 20 oz pkg frozen broccoli
  3. 2 cans cream of celery soup (get the healthy request version without MSG)
  4. 1 can cream of mushroom soup (get the healthy request version without MSG)
  5. 1 cup grated American cheese (or eliminate it for a lower fat recipe)
  6. 2 cups milk
  7. MY ADDITION: 1 box cooked Uncle Ben’s whole grain brown rice

Saute onion in skillet until soft. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover. Cook on low 3 – 4 hours.

That’s it! My hubby is out getting ingredients for it right now so we can make our second batch tomorrow to last the whole week. Give it a try… the cookbook, the rice, the recipe… it’s a winning combination!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Uncle Ben’s and received samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

School’s out and summer is here. For many busy moms that means the time with kids in school is over… at least for a few months. It also signals a time to get creative with our time and their time.

Coming up with fun activities to keep the kids engaged and entertained can tap a mom’s creative tank… today I used an idea from the FedEx Out of Office blog for making bookmarks. It kept my kids entertained for about 30 minutes, which is pretty fantastic as far as attention span goes. Since I’d just given both of my kids new drawing books, having them create bookmarks was the perfect activity.

tasra365 summer bookmark project 2 Fun Summer Bookmark Project for Kids (D270)

You can find other gift and craft ideas with easy DIY project that just about anyone can tackle. If you’re looking for Father’s Day gift ideas from the kids or want to turn your kids school artwork into fun projects, the Out of Office blog has plenty of suggestions. They also have a weekly compilation of some of the best project ideas from other sites online. If you have a great idea for a summer project, you can send details to the Out of Office team via the “talk to us” button and your idea could be featured on their blog!

So what do you have in store for your little ones this summer? I’d love to hear your ideas!

Image Specs: Shot with Nikon D50, 50 mm lens, natural light, 1/80, f/1.8, ISO 400. Processed in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop with auto shadow and black + dark vignette. Create collage in Photoshop and added Kubota Daily Vitamin action.

Technical Knowledge and Images: Looked at images by photog Will Jacks… putting on another theme gallery show this year. You can get your images in his show! No entry fee. Be bold and enter… I dare you.

Disclosure: Special thanks to Mom Central who sent the bookmark project supplies on behalf of FedEx Office! While participating in Mom Central blog tours and giveaway campaigns, I may receive products and/or gift cards as thanks for participating.

Picture 23 Joining the Urban Home Farming MovementUrban farming is making a mark in homes across America thanks to seed packets in specially marked Triscuit boxes. It’s part of Triscuit’s goal of helping Americans everywhere create their own home garden by placing plantable herb seed cards in four million boxes of Triscuit crackers.

If you’ll recall, a month or so ago, we planted our own vegetable garden along with some flowers and strawberries. I say we, but I mean my mother and daughter. I personally have a black thumb. But I’ve heard that herbs are one of the easiest things to grow so I have high hopes for these little seeds.

I love that big companies are partnering with non-profit organizations like Urban Farming. Even if part of the intention is for marketing and increased sales, the fact that they are helping homes get back to green is a good thing. Kind of like Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. Sure, it’s a show that needs ratings that are good for sales, but it also is a really good thing to revolutionize the way people eat.

I’ll keep you posted on our urban farm! In the meantime, you can learn more about gardening from my fellow shopkeepers at OpenSky. Now those are some green thumbs if I’ve ever seen one!

Special thanks to Mom Central for sending me the product so I could check it out!