Come Party With Us! #LittleChefs

Come on over and join us for a party! Here is your official invite!

What: Join us for a Twitter Party to celebrate special holiday moments with family in the kitchen, inspired by The Little Chefs Project, the first-ever crowd sourced e-book on cooking with little chefs! In partnership with Chef Boyardee, The Motherhood and 40 fantastic mom bloggers have written a virtual book that will truly make you feel like a kid again. From creating family time in the kitchen to bonding over everyday and holiday fun, we have tips and recipes for creating kitchen magic with your family. 

When: Thursday, December 6, 2-3 p.m. ET

Where: We’ll be on Twitter – follow the #LittleChefs hashtag to track the conversation.  You can see the details and RSVP via this Twtvite: http://twtvite.com/littlechefs

Hashtag: #LittleChefs

Prizes: Chef Boyardee will give away five total prizes, each consisting of a Chef Boyardee Pizza Kit, coupons, a Chef hat, apron and cookie cutters.  Winners will be chosen randomly from among participants who respond correctly to trivia questions.

Hosts: @theMotherhood, @CooperMunroe, @EmilyMcKhann


Also, take a moment to head over to ChefBoyardee's Facebook page to make an ADORABLE recipe card. This custimizable card is fun and super easy, you can upload pictures, or take them from your existing Facebook albums!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel

Our son, RJ, LOVES the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. He has every book so far, and has enjoyed reading them all. We didn't expect that the seventh installment of the series would be any different!

Below is a short synopsis of the book.

ISBN: 978-1-4197-0584-7
Hardcover
Published: November 13, 2012
US $13.95 / CAN $16.95

Love is in the air—but what does that mean for Greg Heffley?

A Valentine's Day dance at Greg's middle school has turned his world upside down. As Greg scrambles to find a date, he's worried he'll be left out in the cold on the big night. His best friend, Rowley, doesn't have any prospects either, but that's a small consolation.

An unexpected twist gives Greg a partner for the dance and leaves Rowley the odd man out. But a lot can happen in one night, and in the end, you never know who's going to be lucky in love.

RJ, who is currently 8 years old, has definitely enjoyed reading this book, he read it in two days! The fun graphics along with the story really help keep him interested. I would highly recommend this series for any kid, especially those who need a more interesting subject to want to read! You can find Diary of a Whimpy Kid: The Third Wheel on Amazon.com. 

I received this book in exchange for my opinion and post.

Some Babies Need More Protection.... #protectpreemies #rsv

As many of you know, our little Luke was born early. He was born at 37 weeks. He's not exactly a preemie, but he had plenty of health issues...which landed him in the NICU for the first 12 days of his life. 

Since Luke had collapsed lungs, it was very important to keep him healthy, especially the first few weeks after leaving the hospital, when he was at his most vulnerable. RSV could have proven very dangerous for him at that point. We definitely did not want to end up back in the NICU, we were happy to be home. We avoided any public areas for several weeks until Luke was able to be fully recovered and had time for his immune system to build again.

Thankfully he did not get RSV, but I have had experience with it. I remember when I was a young working mother... two of my boys were 18 months and 3 months. I was working full time plus overtime, and the boys were in daycare. They often got sick because of germs the other kids brought with them. I thought they had a bad cold, but both seemed to have difficulty breathing, so I took them in. The doctor said they had RSV. I was given instructions to give both boys nebulizer treatments every 4 hours to help them breathe.

Like the flu, RSV is a seasonal virus. RSV can be very scary, I can't imagine how scary it would be if Luke had gotten RSV, though. RSV can mean that your baby needs to be hospitalized...which is a frightening thought... but there are ways to help protect them.

 Washing your hands and keeping others from touching your baby before they wash their hands is one of your best lines of defense. If you don't have a preemie, you can help protect them still by always washing your hands before touching a baby, and always asking the parents if it is okay. 

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of MedImmune and I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

Holiday shopping on @eBay!

I love eBay. I do. I buy stuff all year around; I am always looking for a great deal. One thing about eBay that I like is that it is always changing. There are always new things listed, and you just never know when you will find that special item. I also really like the options to Buy It Now. 

While I enjoy an auction style listing occasionally, usually I just want to buy the item and get it as soon as possible.... especially around the holidays or when a birthday is coming up!

Our 7 year old son is currently OBSESSED with Lego figurines. So, I purchased over 60 of them on eBay just a couple weeks ago...now to keep it a secret until Christmas! 

You can probably find any item you are in search of this holiday season... be it a new item, or something nostalgic that will bring back wonderful memories for you or the person who is receiving the gift. The vintage items are aplenty at eBay!

There are plenty of great gift ideas to be found on the eBay Gift Guide.

Here are some other great ideas for some of those that may be on your list!

For the working Mom: Digital Picture Frame to keep the family close, even when she's not there.

For the Stay at Home Mom: How about a GORGEOUS blue KitchenAid mixer!

For Dad: A Samsung 3D HDTV with 3D Bluray player !

For a Teen: Apple MacBook Pro.

For the Tween boy: Xbox 360 with Kinect- Star Wars Edition

For Tween Girls: Viva La Juicy perfume gift set.

For kids: Furby!

For Toddlers: Fat Brain Toy Co. Tobbles stacking toy.

For Baby: Whoozit Stellar Star Activity Center!

For the Family: Mancala game.

Or maybe Santa needs some help finding that one item that a special child really wants... I'd bet eBay will have it!

You can also visit eBay on your phone or other mobile device by downloading the mobile app.

Have you purchased anything on eBay recently? What has been your best find?




I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of eBay. I received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

FabKids! Is your daughter one? She should be!

Do you have a daughter? If you do, do you have her choose her own clothes? Does she have a style that she loves? Our little Annabelle loves to choose her clothing! 

FabKids offers fun outfits that any girl will like, and they come totally ready for the playground. These aren't just dress up clothes, they can be WORN. I know I have personally purchased many outfits for Annabelle that I just won't let her wear unless we are going out... they are either not comfortable, or they are too nice and too expensive. Well, FabKids offers nice clothing, but for reasonable price!

You can read all about the FabKids story and people who are involved with FabKids by clicking here.

We had the pleasure of trying out FabKids, we got an adorable dress for little miss Annabelle.

It comes in a bright pink box...

Inside that box, placed neatly in sleek wrapping paper...

...is your daughter's new outfit!

The outfits are definitely cute, the headband that we received with this doesn't really work for Annabelle- but it will be great for the future!

The outfit washed well, we didn't notice any shrinking at all (which is great... I hate when clothes fit great when new, but the first wash changes them completely).

You can get your first outfit for only $25 and FREE shipping! A great way to try FabKids!

11-11-12
*UPDATE*

Right now, for a limited time, you can get your first outfit (a $39.95 value!) FREE. Just Try FabKids! All you will pay is the $7.95 shipping fee. Not bad for a 3 piece outfit!

I received an outfit at no cost for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you.

Best of Holidays Past

Have you ever smelled something and had a wave of nostalgia come over you? I have, and it's incredible to me how scents can trigger my memories.

It's amazing how just one holiday memory can take you home, even when you're far away. Do you know someone who can't be home this holiday season? Tell Febreze your story. 

Through their Facebook Contest, they'll deliver $10,000 and all the special holiday memories of home to the one lucky winner. All you have to do is share a loved one who can’t make it home this holiday season and tell Febreze about your friend or family member and why he or she could use a little happiness this year. 

The Febreze Best of Holidays Past Contest starts 11/5/12 & ends 11/27/12, enter here: http://www.facebook.com/febreze/app_484576484906250

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Febreze. I received a promotional item to thank me for participating

Send a FREE Card!

Veteran's Day is nearly here, it's a great time to recognize and thank the U.S. military members for their time and effort to keep our nation free and safe. Shutterfly is offering to send a FREE card to Thank The Troops! This is a fantastic way to show your appreciating. All you have to do is sign into Facebook and approve the app, select a card, add personalization and click send. Shutterfly does ALL the work and you pay nothing!

A trip to the toy store...and I don't mean bigboxmart! #localtoystore

I have vivid memories as a child of my trips to the REAL toy store in my area when I was a child. The Rocking Horse Toy Co is the store that I remember (and it's still very much there today). I was amazed that there were SO many more toys available than just Cabbage Patch dolls and Barbies! These are toys that I never saw in the big box stores that we usually shopped in. My dad was a fan of the real toy stores, and I am very thankful that he introduced them to us when we were kids. There really is so much out there that you won't find without going to these amazing neighborhood toy stores.

This Saturday, November 10th, is Neighborhood Toy Store Day.

Not only will you find shopping your local toy store fun....you may just be amazed at what is there! There are SO many toys that just aren't available in big box stores! I honestly feel that the toys I get from my local toy store last longer and my kids enjoy them more. Maybe it's just me, but maybe it's not! The quality of these toys always amazes me, and I love that you have such a wide selection of toys that really grasp a child's imagination and allow them to run with their creativity!

ASTRA (the America Specialty Toy Retailing Association) has put together a great toy buying guide that I would highly recommend to those of you who will be searching for the perfect gift for that little one in your life (or that big kid, too!).

We were able to try out two toys that are on ASTRA's Toy Buying Guide, and our kids have REALLY fallen in love with one. The Tobbles Neo by Fat Brain Toy Co. instantly grabbed our toddler's attention...but even the older kids wanted a turn too!

These easy to stack colorful balls entrance the kids! They love to see if they can stack them different ways and it is really interesting to see the other ways they play with them. I have been told they were eggs (that baby birds have hatched out of), nests, squids (when upside down)...it's just been so much fun. I really enjoyed watching as my kids used this simple, but enriching toy!

Have you ever been to a local toy store? What was your experience like, were you surprised with the selection?

I received a sampling of toys in exchange for this post. All opinions are entirely my own!

Come on over for a virtual cook-along!

Look at our adorable little Chef Boyardee! We recently cooked up some fantastic things with the Chef Boyaredee Pizza Maker kit! 

The kit includes the dough (just add warm water and a touch of oil), sauce, and some powdered cheese.... we just used the recipe on the box and added some of our own toppings!

First we spread out the dough into the pan (we made a double batch since we had a lot of people around to taste test!). Then pour on some sauce and spread!

Then we added some cheese...

Then some pepperoni!

Then put it in the oven....and out came:

 Perfecto!

We also made some yummmmmy bread sticks. We used string cheese, pepperonis and the pizza dough from the Chef Boyardee Pizza Maker kit. We placed a few pepperonis around half of a piece of string cheese and then covered it with the dough. 

These turned out SO good. I actually loved them so much that I made them again just a couple days later!

The best part of this, the kids LOVED it. They loved that they helped to make (and then EAT) this yummy food! 

I'd really love it if you all would join us for an awesome virtual cook-along.... all the details are below!

What: A virtual Cook-Along called Family Traditions, part of The Little Chefs Project series on The Motherhood.

The Little Chefs Project series consists of live chats called Cook-Alongs taking place every Thursday at 2 p.m. ET until November 15, and each Cook-Along covers a different topic around cooking with kids. Family Traditions is the final Cook-Along in the series and addresses how you can carry on existing family traditions (such as baking for the holidays) or create your own new traditions with your kids.

When: Thursday, November 15, at 2 p.m. ET.  It will last 30 minutes.

Where: The Motherhood – here is the link to the page where the class will be held:  http://bit.ly/SIuofk

About the class: More than 85 years ago, Chef Hector Boiardi migrated to the United States and began sharing his delicious meals made with real quality ingredients – a tradition which is carried on today. For any holiday or occasion, or simply for the everyday, traditions are important to your family history. Whether you’re looking to pass your age-old family meal traditions to the next generation or create new ones, these moms have advice and stories to share.

To participate, just click the link above, log into The Motherhood using your member ID (if you don’t have one, it’s easy and free to sign up), and chat away in the text-based comments. We’ll also have a video feed running during the half-hour Cook-Along, so you’re welcome to show up simply to watch if you’d like!

The Cook-Along is sponsored by Chef Boyardee, and it is hosted by The Motherhood.  You can visit Chef Boyardee online at http://www.chefboyardee.com/ or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/chefboyardee.

I’ll be there with several other bloggers to co-host the class, and I hope you’ll join us!  The fabulous people who will be co-hosting with me are:

Jennifer, Sweet T Makes Three, http://www.sweettmakesthree.com
Meagan, Sunshine and Sippy Cups, http://sunshineandsippycups.com
Shell, {Not Quite} Susie Homemaker, http://www.notquitesusie.com
Silvia, Mama Latina Tips, http://www.mamalatinatips.com
Tina, Mad Hatter Mom, http://www.madhattermom.com

Hope to see you all there!

I will be compensated of this post, but all opinions are entirely my own.