feeding my family of four

Decisions, Decisions

2012-02-06T17:02:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sprint for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Years ago, when cell phones first became popular, my ex had one through Sprint. He never had any issues with their service. Right now, I have a pre-paid cell phone, which I love, but I am thinking about switching to a plan where I can get phones for the kids and I for one monthly bill. Buying phones for the four or us can get expensive, so when I heard about this online sale Sprint is having on phones I was pretty excited.

Right now, they have their Nexus S™ 4G and HTC EVO™ 3D on sale.

The Nexus S™ 4G is FREE when you open a new line of service or add to your account. ($50 MIR converts to instant + $99.99 web only savings).

The HTC EVO™ 3D is only $49.99 when you open a new line of service or add to your account. ($50 MIR converts to instant + $50 web only savings)

Both phones look pretty awesome, but if I get them for my kids, I would choose the free one. I don't want to spend money on phones that I know they will abuse. Because let's face it, teenagers can be pretty destructive.

Save Money At Walgreens

2012-02-05T20:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

How do you decide where to fill your prescriptions? In the town I live in, there are different pharmacies on every corner. I moved here last year, and the pharmacy I used to use is about twenty minutes away. I was going to switch to one of the local ones, but I love the service and savings I get at Walgreens, so I never did switch.

I am going to become a member of Walgreens Prescription Savings Club. For only $20 a month, I can save a ton of money on prescriptions. I can save money on more than 8,000 brand name medications and all their generic medications. I can get discounts on flu shots, nebulizers, diabetic supplies, and even pet prescriptions. I already buy Walgreen brand products when I shop there, and doing so with my membership can earn me bonuses.

If you want to save money on your prescriptions, get a membership for yourself. Or, get one for your entire family. For only $35 a year you can get the family membership, which covers everyone in your immediate family, including a spouse, dependents 22 and younger and pets. To stay updated on all things Walgreens, follow Walgreens on Twitter and like Walgreens on Facebook.

Winter Entertainment

2012-01-28T07:09:00.002-05:00

Guest post from: Joe Castro

We watch entirely too much television at our house during the winter. With the sun setting earlier nad it being so cold outside, what else is there to do? Our direct tv new york is always on, often in more than one room! The kids each have a television in their room, my husband watched in the den and I even have one in the kitchen. The kids usually want to watch something on Disney or Nickelodeon but never the same thing. Hence the need for them to each have their own. Hubby usually watches Sportscenter after work to catch up on football, basketball and hockey. I have no interest in sports and no time to sit down and watch television. Anything I watch has to be on in the kitchen where I am usually cooking, cleaning or making the next day’s lunches. Luckily, winter doesn’t last forever and in a couple of months the days will be longer and we can all go outside for a walk and some fresh air!

Disappearing Flatware

2011-12-28T18:33:00.000-05:00

I am missing silverware. I have no idea where it has gone, but I am missing almost all of my forks and spoons. Not my knives, though, which is kind of weird, because if I was going to stash some silverware under my bed (or where ever my kids have put it) I would make sure it's a knife or two so I could fend off intruders. Not that there are many intruders in my bedroom, but you know what I'm saying.

I went to the store to buy some new stuff, and I couldn't believe how expensive flatware is. You used to be able to get four forks (or spoons or knives) for about a dollar, but I can't find those anymore. I did find some oneida flatware discounts online, but if I am going to spend any amount of money on flatware, I need to make sure it doesn't disappear. Short of not allowing my kids to use any of it, I don't know how to keep track of it all. Any ideas?

While I was shopping for flatware, it occurred to me that I could use an update on other things in my house as well. I found some cute dining cushions, but honestly, that look is a little too country for me. My mom would love them, though. In fact, I remember cushions on our dining chairs growing up.

I also found this awesome ice bucket with stand and I want it so bad! As soon as I saw it, I pictured it next to my bed, chilling a bottle of champagne on New Year's Eve. Sure, I am going to be with my kids New Year's Eve, so I won't be using it that night. But, the following week, I will have a special friend over, and it's never too late to toast in the new year, right?

Right?

Polar Express

2011-12-28T17:13:00.003-05:00

Guest post from: Mohamed Simon

I have been loving all the Christmas movies on our direct tv. Most nights after supper my family of four has curled up on the couch to watch a Christmas movie. My all-time favorite is The Polar Express. I don't ever get tired of that movie. The magic that it brings to Christmas is so sweet. Of course I know the real reason we celebrate Christmas and I do have my family focus on that, but when my kids are this young it is fun to also do the whole Santa thing. I mean they are only small once and the excitement on my son's face when we took him to sit on Santa's lap is priceless. My favorite part of The Polar Express is when the little boy gets the bell off Santa's reindeer and finally hears the bell. My son saw some bell earrings hanging in Walmart the other day and was shaking them all. Of course he was holding the bell on the sides so it wasn't making any noise. I watched him shake all of them and he started getting worried. He then looked up at me and totally seriously said, “Mom, I must not believe in Christmas”!.

Host A PartyLite Candle Party And Earn Free Stuff

2011-12-22T05:16:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of PartyLite Simple Pleasures Holiday Sweepstakes for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

How cute is this little votive holder? I love the little snowflakes. It reminds me of Christmas. It's from PartyLite.

I went to a PartyLite party once, and all their candles are beautiful. It was hard for me to decide which one I wanted to buy. The hostess, who happened to be my sister, got a whole bunch of free stuff for hosting the party. PartyLite recently put out their Winter/Spring 2012 Catalog on December 16, and I can't wait to check it out.

They are always offering special deals to their hosts, and you can keep up to date with them by "liking" the PartyLite Facebook page. In fact, they just ended their PartyLite Simple Pleasures Holiday Sweepstakes where they gave away five $500 PartyLite gift certificates. I could have bought a whole bunch of Christmas gifts with one of those. I'm thinking about hosting a party myself one of these days. Now that I live alone, I can have my friends over for food, fun, and candles whenever I want. Plus, I can really go for some free stuff right now. Money has been really tight, and I haven't bought anything for myself in months.

Nothing can lift my spirits more than beautiful candles helping my house smell wonderful.

Losing Weight

2011-12-22T03:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Slim-Fast for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

It's no secret that I have had a weight problem my entire life. I have tried every diet known to man, and the only thing that worked for me was stress. When my husband left, I was so stressed I lost a bunch of weight. Last check, I was down just about one hundred pounds. Unfortunately, I still have about fifty or so pounds left to lose.

I have tried Slim-Fast in the past, but to be honest, it just didn't work for me. Now, when I say the past, I mean about twenty years ago. I still can't believe I am old enough to say that! Back then, Slim-Fast was all about having a shake for breakfast, another for lunch, and a sensible dinner. In theory, it sounded good, but man, did I miss eating! And the shakes were terrible. I remember having to mix them myself, because they only came as a powder. They always tasted gritty, no matter how much I mixed them.

I recently tried their new shakes, and I was extremely impressed. Thankfully, you no longer have to mix them for yourself. They come in single serve bottles that you can take with you anywhere. I bought my shakes at my local grocery store, but they are available nationwide at Wal-Mart, Target, Safeway and Kroger. You can also find them online at Amazon.com and the Slim-Fast 3-2-1 Store on Facebook. While they still encourage you to have two shakes a day and a sensible dinner, their new plan includes snacks! That's right! You can also replace the shakes with their meal bars. It's all part of the new Slim-Fast 3•2•1 Plan. Three snacks, two shakes (or meal bars) and one meal. In a normal day I don't eat that much, so this plan seems very doable to me. And check out how yummy their snack bars look:

The new shakes are delicious. I tried the Rich Chocolate Royale, and it was not gritty at all. In fact, I found it to be smooth and creamy. I am excited to try all the new flavors, which are:

• Creamy Milk Chocolate
• French Vanilla
• Rich Chocolate Royale
• Cappuccino Delight
• Strawberries N’ Cream

I plan on making a lot of changes in the upcoming new year, and the most important change is going to be to my weight. I want to get healthy, and being at a normal weight is important for that. I "liked" the Slim-Fast facebook page so that I can keep up with not only what they have to say, but also to encourage, and be encouraged by, those like me who are trying to lose weight.

Stuff Those Stockings!

2011-12-13T20:01:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sprint for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you have someone on your Christmas list who is hard to buy for?

Are you looking for last minute stocking stuffers for your kids?

Do you just want a really cool new phone for yourself?

If you said yes to any of the above, head on over to Sprint online to take advantage of this awesome deal they have going on now through December 14. You can get their Android™ powered EVO 4G devices free! That's right. I said free.

Not only are the phones free, you can also get the activation waived for new lines and get free shipping.

This offer is only available for a limited time, and it is only available online.

I can think of several people who would love a new phone for Christmas, myself included. My phone is the most basic phone you can have. It flips open and takes pictures, and while I can get online, I am very limited as to what I can do once I am connected. I have actually been looking at Androids in the store, and think I really might get one for myself.

Now is the perfect time, too. I mean, who can pass up free?

Cookies And Coupon Codes

2011-12-12T18:48:00.001-05:00

There are less than two weeks until Christmas, and I haven't baked a single cookie. Now, if you know me at all, you know that by this time every year, not only are my cookies baked, they are iced and packed up for gift giving. Do any of you remember last year when I gave a homeless guy we saw on the streets an entire container of cookies meant for a friend of mine? I have never felt as good as I did that day, and my kids were so touched when the man teared up at our thoughtfulness.

This year, I have so much going on in my life that I just haven't found the time to catch up on science and technology news, let alone bake cookies. Having the kids go with their dad every other weekend has limited the time I have with them, and baking cookies by myself just doesn't seem like much fun. They are with me this coming weekend, so we might find a few hours to spend in the kitchen.

I am almost looking forward to Christmas being over this year. I have been so stressed worrying about getting the kids gifts. I plan on taking a vacation sometime early next year, without my kids. I have a special friend, and I would love to get away, even if it is just for a weekend trip somewhere. I have been looking online for Expedia coupons and Travelocity coupons, hoping I can find a good deal on something pretty close to home. It's almost impossible for me to get time off of work, since I am the only one who can do my job, so a weekend trip is probably all I can do. I live close to the beach and the mountains, so I am sure I will find something perfect.

Until then, though, I will try to make time for baking. I enjoy baking with my kids, and I refuse to let this Christmas go by without baking Santa some treats.

Applebee's Gift Card Giveaway

2011-12-12T05:01:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Gift Card Weekend for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I can not remember the last time I was able to take the kids out for a nice dinner. I simply can not afford it. So, when I heard about this giveaway on Facebook, where all you have to do to enter is like Gift Card Weekend, I knew I was going to enter. They are giving away hundreds of gift cards this month, and from December 10 to December 18, they will be giving away $25 gift cards to Applebee's. I cannot even tell you how much I want to win one of these. I love Applebee's, but haven't been in ages. If you are one of my Facebook friends, be forewarned that I am going to encourage you to like Gift Card Weekend on Facebook and mention my name, which ups my chance of winning.

Gift Card Weekend is a once-a-year event where participating retail partners give featured offers for gift cards purchased during the Holiday season and redeemed from January 6 - January 8, 2012. You can purchase gift cards to all kinds of retailers to give as gifts, and the recipients can redeem them during Gift Card Weekend, getting more for their money. Some of the participating retailers are:

-JCPenny
-Regal Cinema
-Subway
-Sephora
-Applebee's
-Bass Pro Shops
-Adidas
-Buca di Beppo
-Lowe's
-Spa Finder
-Marriot
-Giant Eagle

I know my kids get gift cards to JCPenny's every year, so I am going to take advantage of the deals they offer that weekend for sure. I am also going to keep my fingers crossed that I am one of the lucky Applebee's gift card winners.

Lady Bugs For My Little Lady

2011-12-04T18:34:00.001-05:00

My mom makes the cutest cupcakes! My youngest child had a birthday today...she turned 10! She loves ladybugs and asked my mom to make her ladybug cupcakes. These are what my mom came up with, and I think they are adorable! The kids loved eating them, too. Not only did they look good, they tasted amazing. Thanks again mom. You rock!

Kitchens

2011-12-03T14:25:00.001-05:00

To me, the kitchen is the most important room in the house. No matter what type of get together we have at my mom's house, my sisters and I always end up hanging out with mom in the kitchen. My mother recently redid her kitchen, and it turned out beautiful. She went with the county look, using shelves instead of upper cabinets, and it looks amazing. It is also extremely functional. She had a huge island installed, and that is usually where we gather.

Before she decided on what color scheme to go with, she looked for kitchen ideas online. She clipped pictures out of magazines and printed stuff off the internet. She knew exactly what she wanted. I love looking at pictures of kitchens, too, especially when they have all the appliances I love with great flow. If I ever have a home of my own, I want a huge stove with six burners and two ovens. I want a huge fridge and freezer, and all the gadgets that make cooking and baking easier.

I am also obsessed with pantries. I saw one kitchen online that had an archway leading into a huge pantry that was so well organized. I want that someday in my own home. You can check out tons of pictures at houzz.com to get ideas for your own dream kitchen.

GravyMaster Barbecue Sauce - YUM!

2011-11-30T02:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of GravyMaster for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

We use a lot of barbecue sauce in my house. I put it on everything from chicken to french fries. I also love adding it to baked beans. I do have a favorite brand I use, but I have been searching for a recipe to make my own. I was checking out the GravyMaster website and I found a recipe for barbecue sauce. I can not wait to try it out.

All-American BBQ Sauce

Servings: 4 cups
Cook time: 60 minutes
Prep time: Less than 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 can (14 ounces) whole, peeled tomatoes, chopped
1 cup tomato catsup
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup dry mustard
1 tablespoon chili sauce
2 tablespoons GravyMaster®
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed to measure
Dash cayenne pepper

Directions

In a 3-quart saucepan, sauté onion, peppers, celery and garlic in olive oil until tender. Use low heat, vegetables should be cooked through with little browning.
Add remaining ingredients and simmer 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Makes about 4 cups sauce. Good on all meats.

Sounds delicious, right?

I used to think that GravyMaster was only good for making gravy, but there are so many different uses for it. You can use it caramelize food and add it to sauces and marinades. Their website offers so many ways to Master the meal. I know that with the Holidays coming up, lots of people are cooking big meals, and if they are like me, they are tired of eating the same things over and over again. Why not try something new this year, and let GravyMaster make your meal a little bit more delicious? Make sure to come back and leave a comment letting me know how you added GravyMaster to your Holiday meal!

Clothes

2011-11-27T11:19:00.001-05:00

I need to go shopping. A lot of my winter clothes no longer fit, which is one of the many drawbacks of losing so much weight. Don't get me wrong. I am more than thrilled with my drop in weight. I just don't have the money to invest in a whole new wardrobe.

The good thing is, my boss recently gave me some company sweatshirts, so on cold days I just throw on one of them with a pair of jeans. I didn't even have to pay for them. I know a lot of jobs where you need to be in uniform require you to purchase the uniform yourself. When I worked at McDonald's, if I wanted a new shirt or pair of pants, I had to buy them from the company. That seemed a little unfair to me, but I needed that job, so I spent a ton of money on clothes I never got to wear again once I left.

Nurses and doctors have to wear scrubs, and I have a feeling they go through quite a bit of them. My mom is a nurse, and though she says nurses make pretty good money, I am sure they still look for clearance scrubs when they need to buy new uniforms. I also know women who wear scrub tops everyday who are not nurses simply because they are comfortable. You can find quite a selection of scrub tops at http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/Scrubs-for-Women/Original-Scrubs/.

I think I am going to hit up a thrift store for some jeans. I don't want to spend too much money on clothes since I do plan on losing another 50 pounds or so. Once I get to my goal weight I will buy myself an entire new wardrobe. I can't wait!

Messes

2011-11-26T21:05:00.001-05:00

My kids are slobs. Seriously. I could spend an entire day cleaning my house from top to bottom, and in half an hour they will have it a mess yet again. Just the other day they they were home from school, so I left a list of chore I wanted done before I got home from work. You would not bieve the phone calls I got from them that day.

The first time, Brandi was mad at Kasi so she sprayed her with a cleaning product that contained bleach. Then Ryan got mad at Brandi, so he sprayed her with water from the prayer in my sink. The thing was, Brandi was sitting on my couch at the time, so it got soaked along with her. I am glad it was only water, because had it been the bleach solution, I would have been searching online for furniture cleaning tips, though I am pretty sure there is no way to get bleach stains out of anything.

The carpet in my apartment is also a mess, though not all of it is from us. Sure, the apartment manager had the carpets cleaned before we moved in, but I think they did it themselves, so you can assume that they didn't do a very good job. I want to have someone like http://www.thesteamteam.com/ come in and do it right, but I have to wait until after the first of the year, because right now I just can not afford it.

In the meantime, I am going to continue to try and keep the mess to a minimum around here. Anyone have any idea how I can do that?

I Heart Caller ID

2011-11-26T21:02:00.001-05:00

Post contributed by Hilton Miranda

Last year, after a long illness, my mother-in-law passed away. My father-in-law, who my kids call Grandpa, was suddenly alone after more than 60 years of marriage and very sad. Grandpa is a retired truck driver who drove a big rig around his small North Georgia town. But, being in his eighties and not having good health, now restricts him to staying around his house. Gone are the days that he used to work on cars with my husband in his garage behind his house. There is one thing that he can still do that has not been taken away. That is watching professional baseball. My husband tries to go see his dad as much as he can and watch a good game on TV with him. For his birthday, my husband decided to contact http://www.cannonsatellite.com/ and set Grandpa up with many channels to watch the sport he loves so well. I know baseball can never fill the void that losing a spouse can leave, but it can help pass the time and gives him something else to think about. Now he will call us up and ask if we are watching the Braves. I know it seems weird, but baseball has given him a new lease on life.

Norton

2011-11-26T04:01:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Norton Small Business by Symantec for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you spend a lot of time online? I know I do. Is your computer fully protected against malware and viruses? I'm pretty sure mine is, but I still have a tendency to pick up viruses every now and then. To me, it's nothing more than an annoyance that my dad has to come over and fix for me. For small business owners, it can be devastating.

Norton Small Business by Symantec can keep all your information protected. They just launched their Norton 360 and the Norton Internet Security 2012 this past September. Did you know that almost six out of ten small business owners (59 percent) admitted to having experienced some sort of malware (malicious software on their computer) in the past three years, and half of them (51 percent) had to pay an expert to resolve the problem? That's quite a statistic. I bet these business owners now have better protection, and that is what you can get from Norton. They can get 30% off Norton Small Business Products now and maybe breathe a little easier knowing they are protected.

Norton also offers regular people like me the protection I need for everyday computer use. I'm sure my dad will appreciate me being proactive, since he's the one who has to clean up my viruses. You should check out all the programs Norton offers for yourself. Make sure you come back here and leave me a comment letting me know which program you think would work best for you and why.

Changing My Style

2011-11-23T02:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Zenni Optical for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I have two different pairs of glasses. Both are wire frames, but one is black and the other is gold. I wear the gold ones because I broke the nose piece on the black ones. I like the black ones better, but it will cost me too much money to have them fixed. I would rather go to Zenni optical and but a brand new pair. In todays economy, saving money is a must for me, and getting brand new pair of eyeglasses for under ten dollars fits perfectly into my budget.

The biggest problem I am having is picking one pair I love, because there are so many that I do. I guess since they are such cheap eyeglasses I can get more than one pair, but narrowing it down to even two r three will be difficult. I really like this pair:

but I'm not sure if I could pull them off. I am more of a single color, boring kind of girl. Maybe it's time for something different though, I mean, I have changed so much here lately, why not change my style as well? With all the money I save at enni, I could get some new clothes, too. That would be awesome!

I Love Bread

2011-11-12T20:01:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Schar for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I often ask people a weird question. I ask them what is the one food you would eat every day if you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life? For me, the answer would be one of three things; chocolate, peanut butter, and bread. The problem with the chocolate and peanut butter is that I would need both. With bread, I could have a different type for every meal and still be happy.

I feel bad for the many people who can't have bread due to medical reasons, like gluten allergies and intolerance. Thankfully, advances have been made and there are options available. Schar is the leader in gluten-free foods, and they have re-launched their Sub Sandwich Rolls, Ciabatta Rolls, and Baguettes. All three of those sound so yummy! Right now, if you are one of the first 2,000 people to join the Schar club, you can sign up to receive a free sample of their ciabatta rolls. These rolls are the first gluten-free heat and serve ciabatta rolls in the United States. To me, there is nothing more delicious than bread right out of the oven.

I could eat bread as a meal alone, but we all know how delicious it can also be as an accompaniment to other foods. If you are one of the 2,000 to receive the free sample, how will you try it? Alone or as a way to make a regular meal a whole lot better?

PackIt!

2011-11-08T10:01:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of PackIt for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love this! Brandi has taken her lunch to school with her every day since her first day of kindergarten. We have gone through countless ice packs trying to keep her lunches cold. She has accidentally thrown some away, and we even had one that completely fell apart. The gel inside was everywhere. It was pretty gross.

With PackIt lunch boxes, it's the tote itself that you put in the freezer to cool off, and it stays cold for up to 10 hours. When Brandi finishes her lunch, she can fold it up and stick it in her book bag. Check it out:

For a limited time, you can visit their website and buy one of these lunch boxes for only $19.95, and as a bonus you will get one free. That means I can get one for Brandi and one for myself. I know I have spent more than $20 on ice packs and lunch boxes over the years, so I would consider this a great investment. I love the pink one, and that just so happens to be Brandi's favorite color. I'm thinking about wrapping her's up as a Christmas gift!

How would you use a PackIt? Leave me a comment letting me know if you would use it for yourself to take lunch to work, or carry baby bottles (which is an excellent idea for all you mom's out there with babies), or as a lunch box for your child. Also let me know why you think these are better than regular lunch boxes. Thanks!

Puppies Or Babies - Which Are Cuter?

2011-11-05T18:01:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Puppies vs. Babies for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Yes, I want you to tell me which you think are cuter, babies or puppies! I have my own opinion, of course, and I happen to think babies are cuter. There, I said it. As adorable as puppies can be, there is nothing sweeter than a baby smiling and cooing. And the smell! Babies always smell so good. Puppies tend to smell like, well, dogs. The one thing puppies do have over babies is that when they grow up, they don't turn into smart mouthed teenagers with mood swings. And they don't talk back. They do chew up your shoes, but hey, you shouldn't be leaving those laying around anyway.

If you want to have your say in this issue, vote in the Puppies vs. Babies online contest. The submission phase is over, and I wish I had been able to submit a photo of my favorite baby, my niece Lylah. I mean, tell me she is not adorable.

But, since she is not in the contest, feel free to check out all the entrants and vote for your favorite before November 23rd. The wining baby (or puppy if you happen to think they are cuter!) of this Puppies vs. Babies contest will win $5,000. That's a lot of money for simply being adorable.

What do you think? Leave me a comment telling me which you think is cuter, babies or puppies?

Easy Can Still Mean Yummy

2011-10-10T17:40:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of T.G.I. FRiDAY'S for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Now that I am a single working mom, by the time I get home in the evenings, the last thing I want to do is cook a big meal for the kids. Thankfully they understand this, and my almost 16 year old son has stepped up to the plate, making sure his sisters are fed. They do a lot of frozen dinners, and while the girls will eat just about anything, my son has become a picky eater.

I recently found T.G.I. FRiDAY’S “Entrées for One” at my local grocery store, and I think my son will love them. He is one of those kids who thinks cheese makes everything taste better, so I am going to buy the Loaded Chicken and Cheese one for him to try. It looks delicious, don't you think?

Right now, you can take part in their Fun Freezer contest by voting for your favorite freezer. I voted for the little freezer with all the magnets on it, simply because it reminds me of my freezer. If you have ever been in my home, you know about my own magnet obsession. You can vote yourself from now until October 20th. I hope the one I voted for wins!

Looking Up Recipes Online, From My Phone!

2011-10-04T18:01:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

When I was shopping around for a cell phone, I was looking for the most basic, cheapest plan I could find. I told myself I didn't need anything fancy. I had never texted or gone online from my cell hone before, so I didn't think those were things I needed, especially since they ran up the price of the phone bill.

All of that changed when I heard about Straight Talk. These phones are great because there are no contracts. That's right. I said no contracts. When I heard that for only $45 I could get unlimited talk, text, and web, I was sold, Hook, line and sinker. I mean, do you know how awesome it is to be in the grocery store and look up a recipe online making sure I have all the ingredients I need for supper that night? Okay, so maybe you have been doing that for a while, but for me, it was whole new experience. I always thought the only thing I needed a cell phone for was to Call a friend. I was so wrong.

The phone I have is basic, but it does what I need it to do. As much as I would love an Android on Straight Talk, I'll have to wait a while before I can upgrade. Come tax time, though, I am getting me one of those smart phones. I mean, I'm smart. I may as well have a phone that matches me, right?

The Perfect Phone For Kids

2011-09-08T17:01:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TracFone for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I think it's pretty funny to see really little kids with their own cell phones. I mean, does a 5 year old really need his or her own phone? In my opinion, no.

But, when kids grow into teenagers, I think cell phones are an excellent idea. It not only gives parents a way to get in touch with their teens where ever they are, but it also opens a line of communication between parent and child. My son Ryan would rather text me than speak to me, and he has opened up so much more since getting his phone.

He has a TracFone, and it's perfect for him. They offer So many features, though the one he uses the most is texting. I like that I didn't have to sign a contract, and I like it even more that I don't get surprise bills in the mail every month. They have plans that fit every budget, and you get even make international calls for the same price. You can even buy an entire year of service at once. This might be something I look into come tax time when I get my refund check.

But don't just take my word for it. Real TracFone customers share their thoughts on these phones features in the video below. Check it out:

If you are thinking about getting a phone for your child, check out TracFone. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Carbonite

2011-08-29T03:01:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Carbonite for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I am not ashamed to admit that there are so many things about the computer that I just do not know. Sure, I can turn it on and get a post up on my blog, but when it comes to all the "techie" stuff, I'm completely clueless.

I read about all the recommendations about using a computer backup program to make sure all your files are saved, but I am really not too sure how to go about doing that. Thankfully, there are easy to use programs like Carbonite that take care of all of that stuff. The program runs in the background whenever you are connected to the internet, and it only costs $59 a year.

If you are anything like me, a program like this would be perfect. It does all the work for you, and you can access your files from any computer. You can even download a free app on your smartphone (or iPad) and check them from it.

Carbonite even offers a free 15 day trial, and they do not require a credit card for you to try it out. If you decide to purchase the program after the 15 days, make sure you use the code BLOGAD to get two free months of service.

I Love My Phone

2011-08-26T10:01:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TracFone for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you ever heard of TracFones? If not, you are missing o on a great deal. I know this because I have one.

There are so many features that make these phones awesome, but the one I like best is that there are no surprise bills. Every month, I go to the store and buy a refill card for around $45, thought there are several different options to choose from there. They have cards that start as low as $9.99. You can also pay as you go online, which saves time. You are probably thinking that you can't get a great phone through TracFone, but you are wrong. They have everything from simple phones that just make calls to "smart" phones. There are lots of real TracFone customers that are more than satisfied with their phones and the service they receive.

My son has one of these phones, too, and my girls have been bugging me to et them each one as well. As affordable as they are, I am thinking they might just each get one from Santa his year. I like the thought of Brandi carrying a phone as she runs around the neighborhood. That way, when it's time for her to come in, all I have to do is call instead of sending Kasi out to look for her.

I am one of many real TracFone customers who loves her phone.

I Want New Glasses

2011-08-13T21:01:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Zenni Optical for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I need new glasses. The ones I have are so old, and to be honest, I just want something different. I have lost weight, and I am feeling good about myself, so why not treat myself to new glasses?

I was on the Zenni Optical website, and I found a purple pair that I love. Check them out:

Awesome, right? The best part is that they are only $6.95. For that price, I can get two pairs if I want. Heck, I can get a pair for myself and a pair for Ryan, who happens to need new glasses for school. He had a pair, but they broke at the end of last year, and he has been bugging me about getting a new pair.

Kids can be tough on glasses, especially boys. A couple of my little nephews wear glasses, an I can not tell you how many times they have broken them. Their parents now keep two pairs in the house so they have a back up for when one pair gets broken. Being able to save money on prescription glasses with Zenni makes it a little more affordable to do that.

And let's face it. We all love saving money,

Have You Ever Lost Your Cell Phone?

2011-08-06T10:02:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sprint for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I have only had a cell phone for a few months now, and thankfully I have yet to lose it. I misplace it sometimes, and have to call it from another phone to find it. If you have a Sprint phone, you can download their Sprint Total Equipment Protection App, and one of the features of this app is locating a lost cell phone. For only $8 month, you will have the ability to find a misplaced phone with an audible alarm, locate your phone on a map using network integrated GPS technology, remotely lock a missing phone, as well as wirelessly sync and manage and restore your contacts. How cool is that?

There is a deductible if your phone needs to be replaced, but it is far less than the cost of having to buy a phone out of pocket. If you already own a Sprint phone (Android, Blackberry and select feature phones) you can download the app from now until August 30th. This is a limited time offer, so make sure you take advantage while you can.

I know this is just one of many apps that are out there for cell phones, but it sounds like a great one to have, especially if you continuously lose you phone. Or drop it alot, like me. My poor phones (my personal and cell) are so beat up, they look like they spent time in a blender.

Maybe shouldn't wait until next year to upgrade.

The Reality of American Idol

2011-08-06T10:00:00.002-04:00

Guest written by our friend Gladys Fuentes

My favorite reality show on direct tv San Jose by far is American Idol. Though Simon Cowell is gone, the new judges are a great team. Steven Tyler brings humor and his wonderful voice to the panel, while Jennifer Lopez brings the beauty and heart that is needed. Randy is honest and caring as always.

The contestants can be quite comical at times, but when it gets down to the raw talent of them, you see the stars shine. Watching auditions can be painful, but once the talented singers are weeded out from the group, the real entertainment begins.

They start with a solo performance in Hollywood, which scares many away. The pressure can be brutal. Then its on to group night, where many Idol wannabees cave under the drama of it all. Forming a group and learning a song/dance within one night can be extremely tough on some. Only the strong will survive, and only the strongest of the groups will move ahead.
Then comes solo night again - those left will sing for their final shot to make it on. The remaining contestants are grouped into rooms and told whether the room stays or goes.

Those who make it this far will then do some more solo stuff to see who eventually makes it to the top 24, and finally to the top 12 to fight for the American Idol title.

Help Your School Earn Supplies

2011-08-02T10:02:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of My Coke Rewards for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

It's that time of year again where I have to register my kids for school. They are going to new schools this year that I really know nothing about. I was online doing some research about the, and I found this program called My Coke rewards for schools where I can use the codes off of the Sprite Zero bottles I drink every day to earn points to donate to their schools which can help them earn classroom supplies and sports equipment. That was a mouth full, wasn't it?

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that both schools my kids will be going to are already registered with the kids, which makes it easy for me to donate points. If your school isn't registered yet, I believe it is a fairly easy process, which just requires a school coordinator to manage the school's account.

Right now, Sprite is giving away 25 playgrounds, worth $25,000, to schools and are giving consumers who purchase and enter a code from any package of Sprite/Sprite Zero an entry into the sweepstakes to help their school win. You can enter through September 30, and with as much Sprite Zero as I drink, I am going to give my daughters school a good chance at winning.

Cash For Old Phones...A Pretty God Idea

2011-07-11T10:01:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of uSell for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you are anything like me, you have at least a couple of old ell phones laying around. At my house, the kids like to use them to play house. My little niece is almost 2, and she loves to walk around pretending that she is talking on the phone, so my mom has an old cell phone she keeps on hand for just that reason.

Since we moved a couple of months ago, I have been in de-clutter mode, and one of the things that I want to get rid of are all the old cell phones. I will probably keep one for the kids to play with, but the rest have got to go. I know their are sites that will give you Cash for Your Cell Phones and Electronics, like uSell. The process is pretty simple. You look up your phone (or any other electronic device), see how much they are offering for it, select what you will accept as payment, and then receive the money. Sounds simple enough, right?

I have been kind of stressing about back to school supplies, and how expensive they are, so any extra cash right now would be wonderful. Buying pencils and notebooks for three kids can break the bank, let me tell you. I think last year, when all was said and done, I spend about $250 getting the kids ready for school, and that didn't even include clothes or shoes.

Maybe I just need to start playing the lottery.

Monte Carlo

2011-06-26T05:01:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Monte Carlo for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I have to admit, I like Selena Gomez. It's a good thing, too, because my daughter absolutely loves he. She has a new movie coming out (Selena Gomez, not my daughter) titled Monte Carlo that I am actually looking forward to seeing. Check out the trailer:

The movie comes out Friday, July 1st, so I think I'll plan a date night with my daughter. She has been bugging me about having some mother/daughter time with just the two of us, and this will be the perfect thing for us to do. I can get tickets early (starting June 29) through Fandango, so I can plan out our night beforehand. I am not sure if I will let Brandi know ahead of time, because I have a feeling that if I do, she will drive me crazy waiting. I could keep her occupied by having her like the movie's Facebook page, where she can find all kinds of information about the movie. Se is already "friends" with Selena Gomez on Facebook, and writes on her wall all the time. My kid is seriously obsessed with her. But, I don't mind, because unlike a lot of young actors and singers these days, I think she is an excellent role model for my daughter.

Parent's Choice Infant Formula Savings Sweepstakes

2011-06-18T19:01:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of PBM Products for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Are you a new parent? If so, have you thought about how you are going to find the money to put your child through college? I remember when my kids were infants, saving for their education was the furthest thing from my mind. I wish it wasn't, because now my kids will have to find the money themselves through student loans and scholarships. Ryan will be graduating soon and Kasi will be right behind him. I know there is no way that I will be able to afford to help both of them financially, and I really want both of them to continue their educations. I know first hand how hard it is to find a job without having a college degree. Heck, these days it's hard to find a job with a degree.

You can enter the Parent’s Choice Infant Formula Savings Sweepstakes to try and win a $10,000 college scholarship in the form of a College Savings 529 Plan to help your child afford college tuition when the time comes. I have no idea how expensive college tuition will be eighteen years from now, but I have a feeling that like everything else these days, the price will only increase. Doing what you can to help make college more affordable for your kids will be such a blessing.

Walgreens

2011-06-12T04:02:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Are you happy with your pharmacy? I am. I recently switched to Walgreens, and I have been very happy with their products. I used to think that I had to buy the name brand products for quality, but now I know that store brand products work just as well. I have tried several Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products, and have been satisfied with all of them. Brandi had an infection in her ear a few weeks ago, and I used Walgreen's Brand Triple Antibiotic Ointment on her earring hole and it cleared up very quickly.

Buying these products also benefits Walgreens Way to Well Fund™ . This fund will provide free preventive health tests as well as other health and wellness services and education to local communities. Walgreens will contribute up to $3 million annually to this fund, which is pretty generous.

Right now, there are several blogger doing giveaways where the prizes are Walgreens gift cards. I know I am going to enter every one of them. Or all of them if I'm lucky. Right now, every cent I earn is spend before I get it, so a gift card or two would come in very handy.

I Like to Know How Things Are Made

2011-06-06T05:42:00.002-04:00

Thanks for the post, Erasmo Wiley

“How It's Made” is a great television show. Seeing how everyday objects are manufactured is really interesting to me. I watch it on my http://www.expertsatellite.com every chance I get. When the show has some really interesting items that will have their manufacturing processes shown, I record it on my DVR. From raw materials to finished product, the show demonstrates in great detail how things are made.

I remember Fred Rogers showing little segments of how things were made when I was a child. I've always wondered why no shows were made that had the entire premise being about showing how things are made. In Pennsylvania, there is a PBS show that shows what goes on inside some of Pennsylvania's factories, but “How It's Made” shows products from around the world.

The factory segments are fascinating to me. Seeing the machines produce vast amounts of a product from raw materials is really interesting. There has been more than one occasion when I've used a product and wondered how it came to be. The sheer volume of raw materials that go into making a simple item such as a snack cake for the masses just boggles my mind. Giant bags of flour and sugar are dumped into mixers that are big enough for a group of people to stand in. Then the machines go to work all the way to the point of packaging and shipping. It's good to know where things come from and how they are made.

Victory!

2011-05-18T21:00:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of storebrandformula.com for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you worry that your baby is not getting all the nutrients it needs to grow up strong and healthy? If you breastfeed, that should not be a concern. We all know that a mother's milk is the best thing for a baby. But sometimes, like with me, a women is unable to breastfeed, and she has to rely on baby formula. These days, with most people watching how they spend their money, it's nice to know that the store brands are just as good as the name brand formulas. They just cost less. In fact, Store brand infant formulas won a major victory this week when a U.S. Circuit Court upheld a $13.5 million false advertising claim against Enfamil maker Mead Johnson. It seems they were trying to say that store brand formulas weren't as good as the name brand formulas, when in fact, all baby formulas must meet the same nutrition guidelines. You can find more information at storebrandformula.com.

I think it's great that moms have so many choices these days when it comes to what they feed their babies. I pumped my milk for several months with each kid, and I supplemented with formula. I bought the store brands back then simply because they were cheaper. It's nice finding out that they were just as good as the name brands.

My Poor Boo

2011-03-21T22:00:00.001-04:00

This is a compensated post written by me on behalf of Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.

Brandi fell and cut her knee the other day. It was just a little scrape, but she kept picking at it, and now it is infected. I have been putting triple antibiotic ointment on it, and it seems to be getting better. I didn't buy a name brand product, though. I have found that when it comes to medications like that, name brands aren't always the way to go. You can get the same quality for less money when you buy the store brand.

Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products are just as good as the name brands. I was sent a sample of their triple antibiotic ointment, and it works great. It is helping her cut heal, and I love that I can save money by buying it. And by buying these products, I will be helping Walgreens to contribute up to $3 million annually to the Walgreens Way to Well Fund™, which provides free preventive health tests as well as other health and wellness services and education to local communities. You can find more information about it here.

Now that I am on my own with the kids, I love finding ways to save money, and being able to buy over the counter medications at great prices is important to me. It's important to you too, right?

Family Gourmet

2011-03-13T10:01:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Family Dollar for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Food. The one thing that no matter what is going on in my life, my kids keep asking for. I still have to cook meals for them and make sure they eat, even when I am no longer eating with any regularity. For the past few weeks, I have been eating salad, and pretty much nothing else. Except tonight, because we had company and I cooked a nice meal.

Because of my new life situation, I have been thinking of ways to make my grocery money go a little further. While this is not an easy thing to do, there are certain places I can shop that have lower prices, but the same quality of products. One of those places is Family Dollar. They have their own store brand of food called Family Gourmet, and they are so sure that it will stand up against the name brands they offer a 100% Guaranteed or money back within 30 days for a refund or exchange with receipt! To me, that sounds like they are pretty confident about their products.

One of the products that I usually buy the store brand of is cereal. I think the prices of the name brand cereals are ridiculous. In fact, the prices of most name brand breakfast foods are high. Buying the Family Gourmet brand can save you over 30% versus the national brands. You can save $1.35 on pancake mix and syrup simply by buying the Family Gourmet brand. Since we love to do pancake breakfasts on Sunday mornings, saving money on these products is important to me.

Express Spring 2011 Swim Collection

2011-03-12T10:01:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Express for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

One of the benefits of eating a balanced diet is that you will look good in swim suits. I have been eating a whole lot better since my husband left me, and I can finally see a difference in myself. I am a long way from where I want to be, but I am headed in the right direction. Summer is coming up fast, and I really want to look good in two piece swimwear.

I was on the Express website looking at women's swimwear, and they had some really pretty bikinis that I will probably never be able to wear. I did find a cover up that I love, and I think when the time comes to hang around mom's pool, I will be thin enough for it to look good on me. What do you think?

It's pretty, right? I love the animal print. That is just one of the features of the Express swimsuits. Other features include:

* Available in our always-popular monokini, sexiest string bikini and must-have strapless and halter bikini styles.
* Shop bright solids, on-trend graphic prints, the essential reversible style, nautical-inspired striped and sleek metallic styles.
* Designer details include flirty ruffles, sexy self-tie sides, glam beaded embellishments and polished metal hardware.
* Removable padding in tops.
* Bottoms fit smaller to size for moderate back coverage.
* Swim shorts available for men.
* Accessorize with Express spring essentials including sandals, tote bags, sunglasses and hats For Him and For Her.

If you sign up for Express e-mail before April 24, 2011, you have the chance to win one of 10 $200 Express GiftCards. Make sure you check out the sweepstakes rules.

For now, I am going to continue eating healthy and exercising. Maybe by the time it's summertime, I will be rocking a new bathing suit. A sexy one.

Helping In The Kitchen

2011-02-17T22:32:00.000-05:00

My kids love being in the kitchen with me. The other night, when I was feeling particularly sick with the flu, Kasi offered to cook supper. She baked chicken, with macaroni and cheese and edamame on the side. It was delicious! But, it also led to a little jealousy on Brandi's part, so tonight, she helped with dinner.

I wanted to make my seasoned potatoes (you can find my recipe here) so I asked her to cut the potatoes for me. At 9, she was a little nervous using a sharp knife, so Bob found an interesting solution. He cut the potatoes into disks, and then Brandi used my pizza cutter to cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces. It was an inspired solution that allowed her to help without endangering her fingers.

Cooking Creme Chicken

2011-02-16T14:59:00.000-05:00

Looks good, right? The other night, I sent my husband to the store (the girls and I were fighting the flu, so we were quarantined at home) and he came home with this new product from Philadelphia, called Cooking Creme. It is delicious!

I simply sauteed some chicken cubes in my pan, and once it was cooked through I added the creme. Once it was all melted and bubbly, I added broccoli and corn (both of which I cooked in the microwave). That's it. Everyone loved it. I am sure you can add whatever kinds of veggies you like.

There are several different flavors of the Creme, and I used the Italian Cheese & Herb one. I am looking forward to trying the garlic variety, too. I actually have some chicken left over from last night...I might see if I can come up with something garlicy tonight.

Frieling Nonstick 9" Glass Bottom Springform Pan Review

2011-02-09T22:29:00.000-05:00

Isn't this a beautiful pan? I was given the opportunity to review a product from one of CSNStores 200+ stores, and I chose this cheesecake pan. I have been wanting to make a homemade cheesecake for a long time, but I didn't own a springform pan. I was so excited when this pan came in the mail. I knew I could make an awesome cheesecake, and I was right! The only thing that I didn't like was that my cheesecake split while it was cooling. Has this happened to you, and does anyone know how to keep it from happening in the future? The first picture is what the cake looked like right out of the oven. The second picture shows what happened after it cooled for a bit.

Looks delicious, right?

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted
5 (250 g) packages PHILADELPHIA Brick Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
1 (19 ounce) can cherry pie filling

Directions

Heat oven to 325 degrees F if using a silver 9 inch springform pan (or to 300 degrees F if using a dark nonstick 9-inch springform pan). Mix crumbs and butter; press firmly onto bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes.
Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over crust.
Bake 1 hour 10 minutes or until center is almost set. Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Top with pie filling before serving. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

The pan worked perfectly for this recipe. The cake separated from the sides of the pan easily, and when I released the clasp, the pan came off perfectly. I loved the glass bottom, because it made it super easy to serve the cheesecake. There was no transferring it to a serving dish...it was already on one, which is dishwasher safe. I would recommend this pan to anyone looking to make a cheesecake.

**I received this pan free of charge from csnstores to review and keep. The opinions expressed are my own, and we not influenced in any way. I was not required to write a positive review, but how could I not when I love the product so much?

Birthday Dinner With Mom

2011-02-06T20:25:00.000-05:00

My mom made the most delicious dinner for me for my birthday. The picture above does not do it justice..those are lasagna rolls. Simply put, they are lasagna noodles rolled up with all different kinds of yummy cheeses in the middle. There was also a cheese sauce on the bottom, and red sauce on top. I am not kidding when I say they were so good! Then again, everything my mom makes is awesome.

In addition to my two cakes, my mom also made red velvet cupcakes. I was not lacking in birthday goodies this year at all. :)

Super Bowl Weekend

2011-02-03T20:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Kenmore Live Studio. All opinions are 100% mine.

This weekend, most Americans will be glued to their televisions watching the Super Bowl. There will be parties with lots of food, and probably a lot of beer, too. We don't watch football in our house, so we will probably just hang out together. It's my birthday this weekend, so we will most likely celebrate that.

For those of you who do host Super Bowl parties, I found some Super Bowl Recipes online that look pretty good. I love that the recipes are demonstrated, so it's easy to follow along. Check out this recipe for bacon cheddar popcorn.

I have to say, I would eat this any day of the week. It would be a perfect addition to our family game nights.

This next video demonstrates shrimp skewers, and even though I don't like seafood, this is a simple recipe that I would make for company. Heck, I would probably make it just for the family, too. Check it out.

If you are throwing a Super Bowl Party this weekend, check out all the superbowlfood recipes. The cook in the videos is fun to watch, and he is easy to follow. You may find something new to add to your party spread.

I Haven't Forgotten About This Blog...I Promise

2011-01-31T21:55:00.000-05:00

I feel like I haven't been over here in a while. I have been taking pictures of my food, just not blogging about it. I had been overwhelmed trying to get ready for this Bank Of America photo shoot next week. I spent today painting the cabinets in my kitchen, and they look awesome. You can see pics here. I finally decided on the cheesecake pan to review. I got it in the mail a few days ago, and I found a great recipe to use. I even bought all the ingredients. Hopefully I can find the time this week to actually make it.

What Should I Review From CSNStores?

2011-01-24T23:59:00.000-05:00

I am beyond excited to be doing my first product review on this blog. I have been working with CSNStores on my other blog, so I am familiar with all the awesome things they sell in their 200+ stores. The only problem with having such a huge selection of products is deciding what I want to review.

There are several different directions I can go, but each will somehow involve my kitchen, since this is a blog about food. The first thing I searched for was a table. The one we have now is so old, and it only has three working chairs. Since there are five of us, that makes having a family dinner at the table impossible. I want a table that is big enough for all of us, but that doesn't take up too much space. While searching for modern furniture, I found this table, and I adore it.

I love the bench seats, and the fact that the table is square. That would make playing games so much easier, and we play at lot of games around here.

As mush as I would love this table, I also want a bread maker. I found this one, and it looks so cool! Check it out:

I also want a Springform pan to make cheesecake from scratch, which is something I have never done but really want to try. The pan I am leaning towards has a glass bottom, so it can double as the serving plate.

With so many choices, I have no idea what I am finally going to settle on. Probably the cheesecake pan. I really want to make a cheesecake from scratch. If you have read this blog before, you know I am on a quest to find the perfect cheesecake. How cool would it be if I made the perfect cheesecake?

Peanut Butter Frosting

2011-01-15T22:14:00.000-05:00

How cute are these? I had to review Roundabout cupcake sleeves on my other blog, and they sent me these burger ones. I made chocolate cupcakes, and needed a brownish frosting, so I went online in search of a recipe. Most of the recipes I found were very similar, so I just kind of used my own judgment and came up with this recipe that worked pretty well.

1/2 stick butter, room temp

1 cup creamy peanut butter (I found a whipped peanut butter in the store that I used, and it worked great)

1/3 cup milk

3 cups powdered sugar

First, I creamed the butter and peanut butter. I then added 2 cups of the sugar and the milk, while still creaming. I added one more cup of sugar, and that was it. Next time, I might add a little more peanut butter, because the sugar kind of muted the taste, but aside from that, it was really good.

Bruschetta

2011-01-12T11:13:00.001-05:00

We are snowed in today, so I figured it was the perfect day to break out a new recipe I have been wanting to try. It's for bruschetta. Doesn't it look good? I didn't have all he ingredients, so I had to substitute some stuff, but it still came out yummy.

The recipe:

8 Roma tomatoes, diced

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Mix it all together and let sit for 1-2 hours.

Sounds easy, right? It was. I didn't have Roma tomatoes, so I seeded and diced regular tomatoes, which worked just as well. I didn't have shredded Parmesan cheese, so I used the stuff in the shaker. I also didn't have fresh basil, so I used parsley. Over all, it came out delicious. I will make it again when I have the right ingredients to see if it tastes any different.

It's Melting!

2011-01-12T11:11:00.000-05:00

The ice is finally melting away, which makes me happy. I love my family, but I need some time out of the house, so hopefully we can venture to the store. Yesterday, Ryan was outside shoveling the snow and ice, and even though he had regular glove on, he was still complaining about his hands. I think he was wishing he had a pair of work gloves to keep the blisters away.

He did an awesome job shoveling, so Bob was able to head out to work this morning. He was a couple of hours late, but he made it.

I'm Always The Egg Girl

2011-01-12T10:01:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TABASCO® Original Red. All opinions are 100% mine.

I make a really good deviled egg. I do. In fact, whenever we have any type of get together at my mom's house, I am always the one who brings the eggs. My recipe is pretty basic, with mayo, salt, pepper, and some type of pickle (depending on what I have in the fridge), with paprika sprinkled on top. That's it.

I think it's time to find a new recipe. Maybe something with a little kick.

I was playing around online, and found this recipe on the TABASCO® Original Red website. Check out the ingredients:

12 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
1/4 cup nonfat yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon original red TABASCO sauce
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, basil, dill, chives
Salt to taste

I have to admit, it has never occurred to me to add yogurt to the yolk mixture. I bet it makes the centers so creamy and delicious. The TABASCO sauce, which is "so much more than hot", probably adds just enough of a kick to bring out all the other flavors. I think I might try this recipe the next time I make eggs, which will probably be soon.

You can find tons of other simple finger food recipes on TABASCO's Game-Day Party Menu. I know a lot of people have Super Bowl parties, and these recipes would make some wonderful foods for that. With their Pizza Perfected ideas, you can see how to use TABASCO Original Red to spruce up delivery and frozen pizzas. Why not make this a new game day tradition? You can each pick a different pizza and see how you can make it better using TABASCO Original Red. Do you want to make it hot, or simply enhance the flavors? My husband likes a lot of heat in everything he eats, so I'm curious to see how much sauce he'll add to his.

Who says you need to have a party to enjoy party foods, anyway? These recipes would also work for our family game nights. Or any other night, for that matter.

Check Out My New Pots

2011-01-11T11:00:00.002-05:00

Aren't they pretty? I had mentioned months ago that I wanted new stainless pots, and my mom remembered. I was thrilled when I opened them on Christmas. The set has three different sized pots, as well as a small skillet. (the non-stick frying pan in the picture is one of the ones I reviewed from CSNstores) The pots came with glass lids and three stainless utensils. I love them! The only issue I have is that I have no where to store them. My cabinet where I have been keeping my pots and pans doesn't have a shelf, so everything is piled on top of each other, and I want to keep this set looking nice. I think I am going to look for some type of shelving unit to go in my kitchen hallway to put them on. Maybe something like this:

I already have a smaller version of this sitting on my counter. It holds all my spices and olive oils. I just hope the bigger shelves are affordable.

Feeding A Baby Is Easier Than Feeding A Teenager

2011-01-09T01:01:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

I talk a lot on this blog about the thing I make for my family. I have a couple of helpers (my girls) who are always trying to help, and most of the time I am more than happy to let them. I read somewhere that if you let your kids help prepare a meal they are more likely to eat it. My kids aren't necessarily picky eaters, but there are some things that I have gotten them to try simply by allowing them to help prepare it.

When my kids were little, they were both breastfed and bottle fed. Actually, they were always bottle fed, but for the first three months of each of their lives, I pumped my milk for them. Once they were solely on formula, I was always on the lookout for the best price, because formula was, and still is, downright expensive. These days, parents can buy on diapers.com Bright Beginnings formula, which is a store brand, not a name brand formula. It is, however, just as nutritious for your baby. It has to be. There are laws about this. It also costs a whole lot less than the store brand formulas, and as parents, I think it's in our blood to save money where ever we can, without sacrificing what's important. You can find out more about this formula by visiting and liking Bright Beginnings on Facebook.

I am off to make supper for the kids. I wish it was as simple as heating up a bottle, but they always want meat and vegetables. Sometimes, I miss the days of liquid meals. They were so much easier to prepare!

I Made Sausage Balls

2011-01-01T19:29:00.000-05:00

I had to write a post about sausage balls on my other blog, so tonight I decided to try out the recipe I found. Let me tell you...they were delicious! I didn't follow the recipe exactly....

The recipe called for 2 cups of biscuit mix, 1 pound of sausage, and 10 ounces of cheese. You were supposed to mix the cheese and sausage and then add the biscuit mix. I had 1 and 1/2 pounds of sausage, so I used 12 ounces of cheese and 3 cups of biscuit mix. No matter how hard I tried, I could not get the biscuit mix to mix in with the sausage. I ended up adding half a cup of milk, which worked great. The original recipe said to bake at 350 for 20 minutes, but they weren't even close to done after that time, so I increased the temp to 425 and baked them for another 15 minutes, I think. As you can see in the picture, they came out nice and brown.

I am definitely going to make these for our next get together.

Top Droppers ~ December

2011-01-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the following blogs who dropped on here the most in December:

comatised ~ Dreaming in digital

my kids are my world ~ This is a blog about my life as a wife and mother of three kids, who are, obviously, my world.

Travel Around The World ~ Tips, Learn, And Smartest choice to travels guide

Everyday Living ~ Weight-Loss tips and stories, mixed together with humor and fun. All this and more to help you get through the journey of Everyday Living

we serve for you ~ share about knowlegde in making online money

Symbian Freeware ~ Free Symbian GPS, VoIP, text reader software, free themes and games. Ovi Nokia games and freeware.

Home Improvement ~ Home Decorating Blog

Gadgets Resources ~ The Best Resources for Gadgets Information

Medical Research and Information ~ All information about medical research and information include, exercise, nutrition, health tips, and other information about health

Does Your Guac Rock?

2010-12-31T21:01:00.002-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Avocados from Mexico. All opinions are 100% mine.
What does your guacamole say about you? You can find out by taking a simple quiz on the Avocados from Mexico Facebook page. I just took it, and apparently I am a guac geek. Check out my results:

It's strange, but a lot of that is pretty true. I do always follow directions, and I do own lots of cookbooks. It is weird how some of these Facebook quizzes are right on. You should go find out what your Guac Star Personality is.

While you are on their Facebook page, check out their Guac Rocks Sweepstakes. From now until January 28, 2011, you can enter to win one of 80 prizes, including:
(2) Grand Prizes – Two “Fly Away” tickets for a special getaway that’s sure to rock! ($1,500 value)
(3) First Place Prizes- $100 in free groceries to help stock up for your next party!
(80) Second Place Prizes – $20 coupon good for Avocados from Mexico, the secret ingredient that makes your Guac Rock!
All you have to do to enter is fill out the entry form, and share what your secret ingredient is that makes you guacamole rock. Keep in mind that you first have to "like" the Avocados from Mexico Facebook page to enter, and also to take the quiz. I did, and I found lots of yummy recipes on there. You can also follow them on Twitter. (@guacgrl)
Feel free to share your recipes for guacamole here, too. I would love to see how you guys make yours. I am always on the lookout for new and different party food recipes.

These Were So Easy!

2010-12-20T18:38:00.000-05:00

What you need:

pretzels

hershey's kisses

m&m's

Lay the pretzels on a cookies sheet. Place a kiss on top of each one. Bake in a 175* oven for 10 minutes. Immediately push an m&m into each kiss. Throw in the freezer for a few minutes to set the chocolate.

Eat.

Yum.

This Is How I Spent My Day

2010-12-17T16:45:00.000-05:00

Baking! Those pretty looking packages all wrapped up in the back are banana breads. I used this muffin recipe and they came out great.

In the big red tub we have chocolate chips cookies (this recipe) and oatmeal chocolate chips cookies (they were a bagged cookie mix, and they came out yummy). In the green tub is almond spritz cookies (this recipe) and in the little red tub are chocolate peanut butter oatmeal no bake cookies. I'll post that recipe when I find a moment to breathe! I love baking for Christmas, but it always seems like I don't have time for anything else. All these cookies will end up in gift tubs, as well as the ones I still have to make tomorrow.

Cookie Baking Day!

2010-12-10T16:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pier 1 Imports. All opinions are 100% mine.

Every year, the girls and I get together with my mom and my sister to bake Christmas cookies. We usually make a day of it, and when it's time to go, we all exchange cookies. This year, I want to make cookies that don't have to bake, which I guess means I'm not technically making cookies. I saw a recipe recently on someone's blog (I don't remember whose) on how to make cake balls, and they sound delicious! I also want to make peanut butter balls. Neither of those "cookies" require the oven, so I won't have to impatiently wait my turn as my mom and sister bake their cookies.

Every year, my sister has to borrow my measuring spoons, because she doesn't have her own set. I have two, so I don't mind sharing. I am thinking, though, that measuring spoon will make a cute Christmas gift, especially if I get her these:

Aren't they adorable? I found them at Pier 1. I also found some cute measuring cups, but I think they are more my style than hers, What do you think?

Pier 1 has some of the cutest holiday gifts I have seen this season. They are also very involved with Toys for Tots. You can make a donation at any register, or simply drop off an unwrapped toy at any of their stores. If you are like me and want to help but are running low on funds, you can like them on Facebook. For every fan they get, they will donate $1 to Toys for Tots. It's an easy way to help make Christmas a little better for needy kids.

Is It A Surprise That My Most Recent Wicked Fresh Moment Involved Food?

2010-12-08T21:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Toms of Maine. All opinions are 100% mine.

Last Sunday night was Junior's Christmas party. His company rented out an entire restaurant. They paid for dinner, dessert, and drinks, as long as you drank coke or water. Alcohol was available, of course, but the guests had to pay for that themselves. We don't drink, so the entire night was free. We hung out with a few of his coworkers that we are friendly with, and had a really good time. The food was delicious. They had a chicken and mushroom dish that I really enjoyed, and then there was dessert. I didn't feel like going back to the buffet, so I told Junior to gab me something if there was anything up there he thought I would enjoy. We shared a wicked fresh moment when he put a plate in front of me that had the biggest piece of chocolate peanut butter cake. It was chocolate cake with peanut butter cream between the layers and a chocolate layer on top. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! It looked a lot like this:

Have you had a Wicked Fresh Moment lately? If so, Tom's Of Maine wants to hear all about it. In case you don't know who Tom's of Maine is, they are a leading natural products company focused on oral and personal care. Right now they are having a contest where they are giving away a $500 Target gift card and other prizes. Basically, all you have to do is Tweet your wicked fresh moment, making sure to follow Tom's on Twitter. You can gain a bonus entry by liking them on Facebook. All of the official details can be found on the That's Wicked Fresh contest page. If you enter, be sure and leave a comment here telling me what your Wicked Fresh Moment is.

Make A Wish

2010-12-08T14:08:00.000-05:00

How do you like my crooked cake? I knew my oven was unlevel, but I didn't realize how bad until I baked this cake. When I took it out of the oven, there was a least a half an inch difference on each end. I tried to level it out by matching the higher sides with the lower sides, but it still tilted. I am not a big fan of vanilla cake (I'm a chocolate girl) but it's what Brandi wanted. The important thing is that it tasted good, and it did!

It's All The Same

2010-12-07T22:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

This is a blog about food. I have a couple of picky eaters in my little family, myself being one of them. I try to make a variety of things at every meal, so there is always something that everyone will eat. There are days, though, when I wish I could just make each kid a bottle and be done with it. This mom has her limits, and these kids who call me Mom know how to get me there.

Of course, as soon as I remember how expensive baby formula is, I am thankful that my kids are older. Although, more and more stores are offering generic brand infant formula for a whole lot less money than the name brands. It's funny how some people think the name brand formulas are better for their babies, when in reality, they are the same as the store brand formula. They have to be, thanks to Infant Formula Act.

"This legislation vested FDA with the authority to ensure that all infant formulas sold in the United States provide the necessary levels of identified nutrients required for the growth of healthy babies. Store-brand formulas are nutritionally equivalent to Enfamil® and Similac® brand-name formulas but cost up to 50% less."

That can be a savings of up to $600 a year. That's a whole lot of money you could save simply by making the switch to generic formula. If you think back a couple of months, there was a recall on Similac because of beetles. That should tell you right there that even the name brands aren't always the best for your baby.

It's National Cookie Day!

2010-12-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite bloggers, Steve from Burnt Food Dude, is putting together an awesome post all about cookies! I love cookies! I love eating cookies, and I really love baking cookies! In fact, my mom, my sister and I actually have cookie days in December when we get together and bake cookies all day. Then at the end of the day, we split the goodies. It's so much fun! The kids have fun, too, especially my girls. I love that this is something we all do together.

I was going to make some Christmas cookies for this post, but it just so happens to be Brandi's birthday today, too. In her honor, I took one of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes...spritz cookies...and made them girly for her birthday. Check them out:

Spritz Cookies
(this is not my own recipe...I got it years ago out of one of my mom's cook books, thought I can't remember which one)

1 1/2 cups butter
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 375*.

Beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add 1 cup of the flour, the sugar, egg, baking powder, vanilla, and almond extract. Beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour.

Take un-chilled dough and put it into your cookie press. I have a pampered chef one, and it comes with a bunch of different disks. Today I made the hearts and butterflies. For Christmas, I usually make the trees. It's also fun to use food gels and dye the dough green for those. I always use some type of sprinkle, because they make them look so pretty!

Bake 8-10 minutes. I like to bake just until they start to brown, that way they stay soft.

I hope you enjoy these cookies if you decide to make them, and make sure you check out Steve's cookie post to find more delicious cookie recipes!

It's Almost Birthday Time!

2010-12-02T22:35:00.000-05:00

My baby is turning nine on Saturday. I can not believe it has been that many years since we have had a baby in the house. Since her birthday is on a Saturday, she needs to bring cupcakes to school tomorrow. We did a little mom and daughter bonding time this afternoon and made those yummy looking strawberry cupcakes for her class. Of course, they had to be pink. :) I am kind of sad that this is the last year she will be able to do this, which means it's the last time I get to make birthday cupcakes for school. I think this next year is going to be the end of a lot of things with her, like believing in Santa and the tooth fairy. I guess I have to be content with waiting for my kids to start having kids, which hopefully won't happen for many, many years.

Afraid Of Getting Lost?

2010-12-02T18:01:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of NAVTEQ. All opinions are 100% mine.

Lots of cars these days have in-dash navigation systems. People use them everyday to get to where they need to be. Are you one of them?

If so, have you taken the time lately to do a map update? Many businesses are closing down, while others are just opening up, and with an outdated map system in your GPS, you could be sent to a store that is no longer open.

Imagine that you are on your way to a holiday party. You're running a little late because the kids wouldn't cooperate in the "getting ready" department. The party is being held a few towns away at a venue you have never heard, and halfway there you remember that you were supposed to bring a holiday themed dessert. You punch into your GPS that you need to find a bakery, and it leads you to an empty building. You spend the next half hour driving around, looking for somewhere to buy a cake, only to show up an hour late for the party.

If you had done a map update you may not have found yourself in that position. You would have been one of the first guests to arrive, and you would have been able to relax and enjoy good company, and most importantly, good food.

Want These Pots?

2010-12-01T23:38:00.000-05:00

This is the Farberware Classic Stainless Steel 10 Piece Cookware Set with Glass Lids. Awesome, right? I found them on the csnstores.com website for only $69.95. You can check them out here.

I can offer you the chance to win these pots, or anything else at csnstores, up to $115. All you have to do is go here and enter the csnstores giveaway I am hosting on my other blog. Good luck!

Top Droppers ~ November

2010-12-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

Thanks so much to the following blogs who dropped here the most last month.

comatised ~ Dreaming in digital

Symbian Freeware ~ Free Symbian GPS, VoIP, text reader software, free themes and games. Ovi Nokia games and freeware.

my kids are my world ~ This is a blog about my life as a wife and mother of three kids, who are, obviously, my world.

Info ~ Information for your personal finance

Tele Centers ~ It has my Technical works and personal thoughts

URS-VANCOUVER ~ Its my personal blog and i am planning to bring more visitors to it to enhance the quality of the blog

Tattered Notes ~ Mixed bag of articles from my life

TMA-Graphics ~ take free the worlds best home makers ideas. oops!! I really burn my apron but I make good choices.

Entertainment Information ~ For those of you who need information on entertainment, in this place you’ll find it, visit any time because we update the latest information and important.

The Day Trading Journey For Trader ~ Where Trader Get New Day Trading Information

My Contribution To Thanksgiving Dinner ~ Sweet Potato Casserole

2010-11-26T23:25:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:
6 cups warm, mashed sweet potatoes
2 cups brown sugar
16 tbsp melted butter
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/3 cups milk
2 tsp vanilla

Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup pecan pieces
1/2 cup flour
8 tbsp melted butter
dash salt

Combine all ingredients. Mix well. Pour into buttered 9x13 inch baking dish. (I sprayed mine liberally with cooking spray)

Mix topping ingredients together and drop on top of potato mixture.

Bake at 350* for one hour.

I know this isn't exactly a healthy recipe, what with all the sugar and butter, but I only make it once a year, and my family loves it. I don't like sweet potatoes so I don't eat it. I should also mention that when it comes out of the oven it is a little poofy and shaky, but it sets as it cools.

Goodbye For Now, Duff

2010-11-24T10:49:00.000-05:00

I read some sad news the other day...Food Network has canceled Ace of Cakes after 10 seasons. I love this show! I mean, who doesn't love Duff, Geoff, and Mary Alice? And the cakes! They are always pretty awesome.

Now, I will admit that I never really watched it on Thursday nights when the new episodes aired. I watched them in reruns over the weekends. But I always enjoyed them. I also read that this is not the end of Duff. Apparently, Food Network has other plans for him. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what those plans might be.

Luckily, there are several other shows on food network that I love to watch. Last Sunday they crowned the new Iron Chef, Marc Forgione. I was glad he beat out Chef Marco Canora. For some reason I can't quite explain, I never really liked him. I also love watching the Challenge shows. There is something about watching bakers stress for 8 hours over a huge cake that makes me happy. Yeah, I'm a little weird that way. I also want to be one of those baker one day. Brandi says I could do it with my mom, and we would win. She's my biggest cheerleader!

Then there are the actual cooking shows. Those chefs always use the best cookware and kitchen gadgets. I love Racheal Ray's spoons that have the slots in them to rest on the side of the pots. Whoever came up with that idea is a genius. Oh, and I can't even tell you how much I love Alton Brown. That guy is a walking encyclopedia of food knowledge, which I think is awesome.

So, as much as I will miss Duff and the gang, there are enough other shows to keep me tuning in to Food Network.

Finding The Freebies

2010-11-19T18:02:00.000-05:00

I love free stuff. I really do. I get emails every day letting me know about free offers. I have gotten some pretty good stuff, too. I have gotten enough shampoo and conditioner to last me for a year. Deodorant, too, which is pretty cool because that stuff is kind of pricey. The only freebies I shy away from are watching Free Movies Online simply because I have no idea which are the legal sites, and which are the ones that will get me into trouble.

Finding Free Samples online is pretty simple. I am friends with a lot of people on Facebook who spend their days finding the free stuff, and then passing the links along to their friends. Sometimes, the "freebie" is something you can download, but most of the sites send you Free Samples by Mail. It's fun going to the mailbox every day, not knowing what will be inside.

The other day I got a sample granola bar. (I'm not going to say the brand name) Now, I have been hearing how "natural" these bars are, and let me tell you, it was kind of gross. I think if I was used to eating more fruits and nuts, it would have tasted better to me. Or maybe it was the fruit and nut combination I didn't like. All I know is that I won't be buying them myself.

The New Duncan Hines Cake Mix And Glaze

2010-11-17T18:02:00.000-05:00

As delicious as this cake was, I am more impressed with the picture I took. I mean, you can seriously see all the yumminess. Anyway, last night, my dad and his wife came over for dinner (they bought the pizza...thanks Dad!). I decided to make dessert, and since I had bought this new cake mix last week, I wanted to try it out.

I love, love, LOVE the glaze. The cake was delicious, don't get me wrong, but that glaze was phenomenal! Next time, I am going to use the vanilla glaze on the chocolate cake...I bet that will be delicious, too.

Butt Paste

2010-11-17T18:01:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Boudreaux's Butt Paste. All opinions are 100% mine.

I remember when my baby sister was pregnant for the first time, she was making out her registry list online. I think this is awesome, by the way. Being able to make a list of all the things you would like to have from the comfort of your own living room instead of having to walk around the store, scanning each individual item is like the store's little gift to a pregnant woman.

Anyway, I remember her telling me that she was letting her husband help her pick out things, and as soon as he saw the Boudreaux's Butt Paste he said he had to have it. According to my sister, he had no idea what it did, he just wanted it because of it's name. So she put it on her list. Little did she know that it would be the best diaper rash cream.

This cream is awesome because it goes on and comes off easily. If you are a mom, you know how important it is to be gentle on irritated skin. Nothing breaks a mom's heart more than seeing their baby in pain. Butt Paste was formulated by a pharmacist and a pediatrician, two people who also know how important it is to use a gentle product on tender skin. It has also been featured on several television shows, like Oprah and While You Were Out on TLC. It not only comes in the tub, but also flip top tubes and travel sizes.

You can try it for yourself by going to their website and requesting a sample. Trust me, once you try it, you will not want to use anything else.

How I Fed My Babies

2010-11-17T17:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

I am a big believer in breast feeding. I planned on breast feeding my children, but when the time came, I couldn't. I'm not sure if it was the size of my breasts (they were very large) or that Ryan just wasn't interested, but no matter what position I tried, nothing worked. I eventually had to accept the fact that he would not be breast feeding, which meant I had to use formula. Even back then, I knew that the store brands were just as good as the name brands. In fact, all infant formulas have to meet the same nutritional guidelines, so why spend money on the more expensive brands when the cheaper ones are just as good for your baby?

The store brands don't have to spend money on advertising, and they don't give their products to the hospitals for free, so they can keep their products reasonably priced. In fact, some studies show that you can save about $600 a year simply by switching to store brand formula. For new parents, that's a big number. Imagine how many diapers and wipes that money can buy.

I will always be a believer in breast feeding, but it's nice to know that there is an affordable alternative for mothers like me.

Yum. That's All.

2010-11-17T14:11:00.000-05:00

Breakfast. Sometimes, it just has to include peanut butter. That's all I'm saying.

Do You Know Which Vitamins You Should Be Taking?

2010-11-17T14:00:00.002-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of vitaminID.com. All opinions are 100% mine.

Trying to decide which vitamins to take can get pretty confusing. Their are individual vitamins for every nutrient you may be lacking, from vitamin A to zinc. There are also lots of multi vitamins geared towards men or women, or older men and older women. Standing in the vitamin aisle can be very intimidating if you don't know exactly what you are looking for.
I went to VitaminID.com and took their simply survey to see what vitamins I should be taking on a daily basis. It took less than five minutes for me to answer a series of questions that asked everything from how many veggies I eat every day to whether or not I'm a smoker. I had to include my height and weight, and I was seriously prepared for them to offer me up some diet pills. They didn't. They did, however, offer me a list of vitamins i should be taking to supplement my diet. Check it out:

I was not at all surprised about the fish oil, because i do not eat any fish. I am not sure what the natural sterols and stanols are, so I have to do a bit of research before taking those. Apparently, since they have me taking four of them, it must be something important I am lacking. VitaminID.com also offers free live chats with Registered Dieticians, so I may hop back on their and ask what those sterols and stanols are all about.
Hopefully, I will feel more confident in the vitamin aisle from now on.

Chocolate Covered Worms

2010-11-15T13:43:00.000-05:00

Brandi is reading How To Eat Fried Worms in her gifted/talented class. As a project, they had to pick three different things to do with worms. Her first project was a game she had to make up that she called How To Eat Vocabulary Worms (you can check it out here).

For her second project, she had to make an original recipe using worms. She decided to make chocolate covered gummy worms. I melted the chocolate, but she did everything else, and they came out great. They tasted kind of gross, at least to me. The kids in her class liked them, so i guess that's all that matters.

Her final project will be an experiment of some kind. Junior is going to help her with that one. I don't touch real worms.

Do You Have A Cheap Cable Television Deal?

2010-11-15T13:23:00.000-05:00

I used to live in New York, and I still have a few friends there. My sister still lives there, too. From what I have been hearing from them, a very popular cable television provider has been yanking channels off the air due to contract issues. I remember a few months ago they took Food network off the air, and a lot of their customers were really upset. TI know of several who went looking for better Cable TV Deals. I don't think I could stay with my current cable provider if they took Food Network off the air. I mean, we're one episode away from finding out who the new Iron Chef is going to be. I have to admit that I was a little happy to see Chef Tsai go last night. He seemed just a little too cocky to me.

Anyway, I love my cable provider. I also have my home phone and High Speed Internet through them. I don't know enough about internet speeds and things, so not having to search for Internet Service Providers on my own is awesome. I am a big fan of the bundle package, which allows me to only have one bill every month for all three services. I know a lot of people are shying away from having a home phone and only using their cells, which is a good choice for some. Since I work from home, I like having a land line.

Gotta go. 30 Minute Meals is on, and I need my Rachael Ray fix.

Is Teaching In Your Future?

2010-11-12T18:02:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of 2tor. All opinions are 100% mine.

I have been doing a lot of thinking about what I want to be when I grow up. Yes, I know I am almost 40 years old (did I really just say that?) but some days I feel like my life may just be beginning. For the past fifteen years, I have done the wife and mother thing, which I love. Lately, though, I feel like there may be something else I was meant to do. The problem is, I have no idea what that is.

These thoughts led me on a search for an online school that is affordable and accredited. One of the programs I found was the USC Rossier School of Education’s MAT@USC, which "offers current educators and aspiring teachers the prestige of earning a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from an elite research university with the convenience and flexibility of studying online". Of course, this is not a viable option for me since I am not in line to become a teacher right now, but if you are, this could be the program for you. The thing that stood out for me was the ability to take advantage of their accelerated program, which makes it possible to graduate in as little as twelve months. You can also apply for their tuition reimbursement and scholarships.

You can find out more program information to see if this is the program for you. If you are a work at home mom like me, taking classes online is a great way to get the education you desire.

Making Bagel Pizzas

2010-11-10T21:22:00.000-05:00

I just had to get a shot of Brandi helping to make a quick supper of pizza bagels tonight. Of course, she had to ham it up a bit. God, I love that smile. It's great when she helps in the kitchen. It's fun for her, and it makes for some pretty special bonding time. besides, the bagel pizzas were her idea, so it's only fair that she make them. :)

Should I Study Nutrition?

2010-11-08T19:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Ashworth College. All opinions are 100% mine.

I have been doing a lot of research lately about taking classes from an Online College. Even though I live about a minute from USCS (University of South Carolina, Spartanburg), taking classes on campus is not a good fit for me. The fact that I don't drive factors in, but my main reason is that I still want to be here at home when the kids get off the bus. I think it is important that I am here to help with homework, and to also make sure they do not get themselves into any trouble.

I want to be able to take classes online from a good school, and by looking through the Ashworth Video Gallery I can see that this school may be a good fit for me. One of the things I like best is that the cost of tuition includes all books and materials, and they offer interest free financing. This eliminates the need for student loans, so their students can graduate without that hanging over their heads. Ashworth College Featured by National Education Report "for its distinguished contributions to the advancement of distance education, both nationally and internationally". They offer more than 100 different nationally accredited career diplomas, so I am sure I can find something that would interest me. I have always wanted to work with kids, so that is something I will look into further. I also think studying nutrition will help improve my eating habits.

I wish I could go to culinary school from home. Now that would be awesome.

The Best Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-11-07T11:47:00.000-05:00

I found this recipe at allrecipes.com, and they turned out yummy!

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

You can find the recipe here also. These cookies did not last long at all in my house. Next time, I am going to double the recipe. My only complaint was that the cookies never browned. I thought it was because the cookies were so big, so I did a few little ones, and the same thing happened. Anyone have any ideas about why that happened? I've never had this problem before.

Giraffe

2010-11-02T22:46:00.000-04:00

I can not take credit for this giraffe cake. It was made by my mom for my niece's first birthday. I think it came out amazing. Great job, Mom. Again.

Top Droppers ~ October

2010-11-01T00:00:00.001-04:00

My top droppers for the month of October

Crimsonsparkle.net ~ The view from my window.

Symbian Freeware ~ Free Symbian GPS, VoIP, text reader software, free themes and games

my kids are my world ~ This is a blog about my life as a wife and mother of three kids, who are, obviously, my world.

comatised ~ Dreaming in digital

bethere2day ~ bethere2day is a personal blog about anything and everything, fun, humour, randomness and rants

Da Dude's BBQ Thought ~ Da Dude's BBQ Thought & other things. The thoughts and rantings of a Barbecue God Wanna be!

Women's Fitness Videos ~ Womens Fitness Videos, workout videos for women, exercises for women, get fit, tone your body, lose weight, with these super aerobics videos for women, exercise routines, fun and enjoyable exercises for women.

Men's Fitness Videos ~ Men's Fitness Videos, get fit, build strength, tone your body and build muscles with super workout videos for men, men's workouts, exercise routines for men, bodybuilding videos. tips and advice for men

JoeTaxpayer ~ A personal finance blog, topics include investing, taxes, finance, debt, retirement. Your EC ad will appear above the line on my blog

TMA-Graphics ~ TAKE FREE THE WORLDS BEST HOME MAKER'S IDEAS. OOPS!! I REALLY BURN MY APRON BUT I MAKE GOOD COOKIES

Thanks to all of you who drop every month.

The Brownies

2010-10-31T00:02:00.000-04:00

I made these little guys in a cake pan. Then I used frosting tinted orange and green to decorate the face and stem. They were so yummy! I am hoping that I can get different pans for next year. the only problem is that I refuse to pay full price, so hopefully they will have some marked down after Halloween. I am hoping to find some skull pans or something scary.

Breast Or Bottle?

2010-10-29T19:00:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

I am going to be an Aunt again in a couple of months. This baby will either be my ninth nephew or my sixth niece. My sister opted not to find out the sex of the baby, and since she already has a son and a daughter, she is prepared for either one. She breast fed both of her other children, and I am sure she will breast feed this one as well.

I tried to breast feed all three of my kids, but it never worked out. I ended up pumping for the first three months of each kids life, but then my milk dried up and I gave them formula. I always chose the store brand formula because I knew it was just as good as the name brands. In fact, the store brand formulas must meet the same FDA nutrition guidelines as the brand names. There is no reason to buy the more expensive formulas, because there is no difference between them and the sometimes up to 50% cheaper store brands. That can be a savings of up to $600 a year. I am sure new parents can think of many other things that they could spend that money on.

If I ever have another child, I will not even be able to attempt breast feeding because of my breast reduction. I will happily be buying store brand formula once again. Let's all just hope that I don't find myself in that position, though. I am too old to be starting over with a baby. Although, this time around I would have two teenagers who could help out.

The Cake

2010-10-29T00:58:00.000-04:00

I wish I could take the credit for this one, but I can't. My mom made it. She always makes the kids cakes, and she really outdid herself this time. Everyone loved it.

Thanks mom! You rock!

The Spread

2010-10-26T00:58:00.000-04:00

Don't you just love the eyeball tablecloth!

We had deviled eggs, fruit salad (apples, grapes, and strawberries), monster toes, and the strawberry ghosts. The monster toes were little sausages wrapped in tortillas, with little bits of the ends cut off to look like toenails. I then filled the "nails" with bbq sauce so it looked like blood. I make these every year and the kids (and adults) love them.

I also had the little croissants, a cheese and cracker tray, spinach dip (my mom made it and it was awesome!), a pickle and olive tray, salsa, white cheese con queso dip, french onion dip, and a variety of chips.

I also served those ham and turkey rolls, a vegetable tray with ranch dip, and all the chocolates I made.

My sister brought some pizza rolls (they didn't fit on the table!) and I was a little jealous when they were the first to go. After all the hard work I put into the party food, little frozen pizza rolls were the favorite. Go figure. next year, I am going to save myself the trouble and just put out a platter of those, lol!

Boo!

2010-10-23T23:46:00.000-04:00

One of Brandi's friends gave her a little booklet of Halloween recipes at school, knowing that we were having a Halloween party. One of the recipes was yogurt covered strawberries that looked like little ghosts. Brandi really wanted to make them for the party, but I didn't think the yogurt would stand up to being on the table all night. So...I decided to substitute white chocolate for the yogurt. I melted the chocolate, and let Brandi dip the strawberries.

I used black food gel to make the eyes and mouths, and I don't know if I didn't give it enough time to dry or what, but when guests picked up the ghosts, the black rubbed right off on their fingers. I am not sure what else I could have used. Any ideas for next time?

Do You Entrecard?

2010-10-23T20:25:00.000-04:00

A few months ago, I signed up this blog of mine on entrecard. I have been using it on my other blogs for a couple of years, and it is a great way to get your blog"out there".

If you haven't heard about entrecard, well, than you must be living under a rock or something. The general idea is that you put a widget on your blog, and then other entrecarders stop by your blog and "drop" (or click) on your widget, with the hopes that you will visit their blog and do the same. Sounds easy, right? You are allowed 300 "drops" per blog, per day. I don't drop nearly 300 using this blog, so I don't get very many return drops. It's really a "you get what you put into it" type of thing.

Right now, if you sign up and write a post about how awesome (or not so awesome...though I can't think of anything not awesome about them) they are, you can earn some bonus credits by entering this contest. My biggest piece of advise is to drop using firefox. My sons computer has IE, and it takes me forever to drop on it.

Have fun and happy dropping.

The Perfect Cup Of Coffee

2010-10-22T20:01:00.002-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Nestle Dolce Gusto. All opinions are 100% mine.

Last year for Christmas, my sister's all chipped in to get my mom one of those coffee makers that makes a single cup at a time. All you do is buy those individual little capsules of coffee that go into the machine, and you can have a cup of coffee without having to wait for an entire pot to brew. Since my mom lives alone, this coffee maker is perfect for her. Her only complaint, if this can be considered a complaint, is that she can't make iced coffee. She has to make a hot cup, and then add ice to it.

The NESCAFE Dolce Gusto machine does have the option of making cold coffee, which I know my mom would love. It can also make Caffe Lungo, Espresso, Cappuccino, Latte Macchiato, Mocha, Caffe Americano, Iced Cappuccino, and even hot chocolate. You can even customize the froth, heat, and strength of the coffee simply by using the patented Custom Control Lever.

I am not a coffee drinker, but Junior does like to have a cup sometimes, so this machine would be perfect for us. I don't really know much about coffee makers, so I did a little research. I know you can learn a lot by reading about a product, but I feel that you can learn more about how it really works from people who have actually used the product for a little while. At Divine.ca, you can read what 50 people have to say about using this coffee maker. I read most of the reviews, and the majority of user had only good things to say. To me, that means a lot.

Appetizers For Tomorrow's Party

2010-10-21T22:59:00.000-04:00

Two hours....that's how long it took me to roll these ham and turkey pinwhells. Simply put, they are slices of ham and turkey smothered in cream cheese and rolled up, then cut into sliced. I used Halloween themed picks to hold them together.

It took me two and a half hours to make these mini ham and cheese croissants. I used regular Pillsbury croissants, and cut each one into about eight little croissants. I rolled them up with little pieces of ham and cheddar cheese, and voila, yumminess. And trust me, they are yummy.

I also bought garlic croissants and rolled them with onion and chive cream cheese. (I don't have pictures of them because I am too tired) I will take tons of pictures of the rest of the party food tomorrow as I get it prepared. Or maybe it will be Saturday when I find the time. I have so much to do before the party, I probably won't be online much tomorrow.

Chicken Pot Pie

2010-10-18T14:20:00.000-04:00

I can not take credit for this recipe. I stole it from my friend Stacey. She posted the recipe on her blog, and I knew that my family would love it...and they did! Whenever I make this, I always double up and make two trays, because the hubs says it tastes even better as leftovers. I made this last Thursday, and the kids ate the last of it yesterday. That was two trays gone in three days...that should tell you how good it is!

The recipe:

1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts
1 bag frozen mixed veggies
1 cup shredded monterey jack & colby cheese
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (I only had two cans, and since I was doubling, I also used two cans cream of chicken...worked just as well)
1 small onion finely diced (I used my food processor, which I believe Stacey said to do)
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 cup flour seasoned to taste with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground red pepper)
2 cups baking mix (I use Jiffy)
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 stick butter

Cut chicken into 1 -2 inch squares and coat with the seasoned flour. (even doubling the recipe, 1 cup of flour was more than enough to coat the chicken) melt the butter in a deep skillet with the minced garlic and onion until they start to brown, then add the chicken. Cook chicken until all pieces are brown and almost cooked completely through.

In a large bowl, put the mixed veggies, cheese, and cream soups. When chicken is done, add to bowl and mix so that everything is coated with the soup. Pour mixture into well greased 9x13 baking dish.

In another bowl, mix the baking mix, milk, and eggs. Pour over chicken. (I always smooth it with the back of a spoon to make sure it covers the whole dish) Bake at 350 degree for 30-40 minutes until crust is firm and brown.

The prep does take a little time, but it is so worth it, especially now that Fall is here, and cooler temperatures should be headed our way, This dish is ultimate comfort food.

Thanks for the recipe Stacey!

Stuffed Shells

2010-10-12T11:13:00.001-04:00

We were in the grocery store the other day, and Junior asked if I would make stuffed shells for dinner some night. I said, sure, even though I had never done it before. I bought the shells and some cheeses (I was guessing which kinds I would need) and came home to my computer to find a recipe. After lots of searching, I took different ingredients from several recipes and kind of came up with my own.

My recipe:

16 oz. ricotta cheese
9 oz. package frozen chopped spinach
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. parsley
mushrooms (canned, diced pretty small)
2 eggs

I mixed all the ingredients together with my mixer on medium. Most recipes said to mix by hand, but I couldn't get the texture I wanted, so I threw it into my mixer. I than stuffed the shells I cooked and cooled with the cheese mixture. I put them in a baking dish with a little sauce underneath so they wouldn't stick to the pan, and some on top, too. I baked it for 25 minutes at 400 degrees. (I didn't cover the pans, so they dried out a little...next time I will cover them for the first 20 minutes)

They came out delicious! I am not a big cooked spinach fan (I love it raw in salads, but the cooked just doesn't do it for me), so I was worried about the taste. There was no need. the only complaint my husband had was that the cheese mixture needed something...but he didn't know what. He said he expected it to taste more like the filling in a cheese wonton, so I am thinking of maybe adding a little cream cheese to the cheese mixture the next time I make this. What do you think? Would that work?

Fettuccine With Chicken & Roasted Garlic Parmesan Sauce

2010-10-07T05:44:00.001-04:00

Here's a simple, yummy meal that I made in two pans. First, I cut up some chicken breasts into bite sized pieces. (I do this a lot because it helps to cook the chicken faster) I cooked the chicken in a little olive oil in my big skillet. When that was brown and cooked through, I added two jars of Ragu's Roasted Garlic Parmesan Sauce. I then cooked a package of fettuccine pasta, and added that to the skillet. I mixed it all together, and served it with garlic bread. Everyone loved it, and it was ready in about 30 minutes. Plus, I served it on paper plates, so I only had the pasta pot and skillet to wash. There's nothing I like better than a yummy meal that has an easy cleanup.

I Made Chicken Nuggets!

2010-10-04T21:44:00.000-04:00

Don't they look delicious? I cut up chicken breast strips into bite sized pieces, and threw them into some beat eggs. I then mixed some panko breadcrumbs with paprika, parsley, and garlic powder. I coated the chicken with the breadcrumbs, and then shallow fried them in a mixture of canola and olive oils. The kids loved them! I am going to try baking them next time, and seeing if I get the same crunch.

Olive Garden

2010-10-03T17:17:00.000-04:00

I had only been to the Olive Garden one time, over 16 years ago. I went to Myrtle Beach with a friend of my dad's, and we ate there one night. I remember it having delicious food, but man oh man were my taste buds happy last Friday. My friend Donna treated me to lunch there, and well, wow. Check out the bruschetta I ordered:

I ended up taking most of it home with me. I love bruschetta, but this was the best I have ever had. EVER. My entree was portabella mushroom ravioli in a five cheese sauce. Sooo good. It was sooo good I forgot to take a picture before I gobbled it up.

And of course, to finish the meal, we had cheesecake. White chocolate raspberry cheesecake to be exact. Look at how pretty it was:

The entire meal was yummy. I loved their service, too. The never ending salad and bread sticks...yum. The freshly grated Parmesan cheese...yum. I loved that they boxed up my leftovers (and there were a lot!) themselves instead of handing me to go boxes. I can wait to go back there with Junior and the kids, which won't be until next year when we get our tax refund. As good as the food was, there is no way we can afford to feed all of us. The check was almost $50 for just Donna and I.

But it was worth every penny. (especially since they were her pennies)

Top Droppers ~ September

2010-10-01T19:49:00.000-04:00

The following blogs dropped here the most last month:

bethere2day ~ bethere2day is a personal blog about anything and everything, fun, humour, randomness and rants.

Crimsonsparkle.net ~ The view from my window.

Free Blogspot Blog Templates ~ collection of blogger templates...

Documentary Post ~ Watch & Reviews Documentaries found online

J5Games ~ free online games found online

Local Brown ~ collection of funny stand-up comedians videos..

comatised ~ Dreaming in digital

Da Dude's BBQ Thought ~ Da Dude's BBQ Thought & other things. The thoughts and rantings of a Barbecue God Wanna be!

Sing It Live ~ compilation of live performances of various artists..

NPB Journal ~ A portal of daily news covering National Basketball Association.

Thanks to all of you!

Fry Cocktail

2010-09-29T23:07:00.000-04:00

Last night I made french fries with supper. Brandi got a little tupperware, filled it with ketchup, and stuck her fries in it. She came over to me, and said:

"if shrimp can be a cocktail, so can french fries." She's 8, and completely adorable!

Turtle Cheesecake

2010-09-22T15:06:00.000-04:00

Not the best picture, but O...M...G! The best cheesecake I have had. Ever! I was having lunch at a little "out of the way" place, and this was in their dessert case. I had to have it. And, the best part? It was only $1.50! I might just have to go back there for some more!

Applebee's Cheesecake Shooters

2010-09-18T22:53:00.001-04:00

This was seriously the best little glass of cheesecake I have had in a while! I have this friend, and we have been eating out for lunch quite a bit lately. It seems like every restaurant we go to, we have cheesecake for dessert. Wait until you see the one I had yesterday...I'll post that picture soon. For now, drool over this little beauty!

My TiVo Would Be Full Of Cooking Shows

2010-09-17T15:21:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TiVo. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love watching Food Network. My favorite shows are the cooking competitions. Iron Chef America and Chalenge are two of the shows I try hard not to miss. I am excited about the new season of "The Next Iron Chef" that is starting soon.

I also love Top Chef, which is on Bravo. This past week the new series, Top Chef Just Desserts started, and I liked it. It will be interesting to see what kind of yummy goodness the chefs come up with. Of course, if the desserts look good (and easy!) enough, I might just have to try recreating them at home. To do that, I am going to have to watch whichever episode a couple of times to get the recipe down. This is where TiVo would come in handy.

I say "would" because I do not have one. I want one. Badly. Not only can I catch up on all the Fall TV premeires if I had TiVo, but they have so many pretty cool features that I want to try out. For instance, with TiVo Search and TiVo Collections, I can search for and watch past episodes of my favorite shows on Netflix, Amazon Videos On Demand, or Blockbuster On Demand. They also have this thing called TiVo Premeire, which allows you to find past shows and movies that your favorite actors and actresses have been in.

I am also drooling over the Slide Remote. This remote slides open to reveal a keyboard, which makes typing quicker, so you can find your favorite shows easier. You can even Enter to Win a Slide remote in TiVo's 30 Slides in 30 Days Sweepstakes. All you have to do is become a Facebook Fan or follow them on Twitter.

I want to win the slide so I can make sure I never miss an episode of Challenge, Iron Chef, and Top Chef. Oh, and Survivor. I do watch regular television, too. Sometimes.