Look What I Found In My Mailbox Today!

I love VocalPoint.com! I get the inside scoop on new products and the opportunity to sign up for samples of those products! Sometimes they have creative ways of sending the coupons...like the cardstock "bowl" with a coupon for Barilla noodles, for example. Today they topped themselves with this creative mailing for Breve Creme - in a coffee cup! How fun! It truly made me excited to try this new product!

I have four coupons for $.55 off, who else wants to give it a try?!

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Photos from the Mommy Party!

 

 



We Love Nutella! My First Mommy Party

When I was given the opportunity to host a Mommy Party to try Nutella with 10 mommy friends, I jumped at the chance! I wasn’t sure what it would involve, but I love having friends over and what better reason than to get some freebies and try something new?!

I received a box with a jar of Nutella, step by step instructions for hosting the party, as well as goodies for ten moms that included a sample, spreader, travel mug, an information sheet and a few cards with serving suggestions. Everything was very easy to put together for the party because Mommy Parties had everything laid out step-by-step for the prep and the party!

I’ll admit, before I hosted the Nutella Mommy Party, I had never tasted Nutella. I wasn’t the only one. Only one of the nine moms at the party had tasted Nutella! You can imagine how much fun we had tasting the spread on the whole wheat bread, English muffins, strawberries and bananas. It was a HIT! Each of the moms (but one!) loved it and the kids had it smeared from ear to ear! Some ideas for uses were to use Nutella in place of peanut butter in peanut butter cookies and another said it could be used in place of chocolate bars on s’mores! Also, after the party one of the mom’s tried the sample from her goodie bag as suggested on a tortilla with banana and she said it was very good!

Let me tell you, now that my family has tasted Nutella, it’s become a staple! Click here to learn more about Nutella and get your own $1.00 off coupon or here for a chance to win a case of Nutella!  

We had so much fun with this, my mom friends and I are hoping to be chosen to host another Mommy Party in the future!

* I had problems with my photos uploading to blogger. I hope to have them in another post soon!

Thanksgiving Giggles

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Wordless Wednesday - My New Adventure!

I've become a Tastefully Simple consultant!  I'm so very excited to start this new adventure!  If you are interested in placing an order or checking out Tastefully Simple's awesome products,

please visit my website: www.tastefullysimple.com/web/aprentice

Wordless Wednesday - Macaroni & Cheese

It's Snowing!

I spied a few snowflakes so Tyler and I ran outside to take a closer look. Of course he had to try to eat some!

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Wordless Wednesday - Tyler's No Carve Pumpkin

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Are You Prepared to Make an Informed Decision?

Voting is such an important right that we have as Americans!  I am not prepared to (nor do I want to) use my blog as a sounding board for my political views.  However, I do believe that voters need to make informed choices no matter what your views are!  We cannot go by what we see on commercials or how many of one certain candidates signs are in our neighbors' yards. 

I know, we're all sick of the political ads on television.  The bashing of the competition.  The constant "he said, she said."  Distracting signs littered across fields, in yards and in front of businesses.  But what does it all REALLY MEAN?  It's a lot to sort through!  Every citizen that is able to vote needs to take the time to research candidates to see exactly where they stand on the issues, not where their opponents say they stand.

For my readers in Wisconsin, here is a helpful website that is run by Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Television.

WisconsinVote.org

Need more information on how and where to vote?  See below!
I don't know where to go.  Am I registered?  I don't know what to do!  Check out this EASY to use website - just enter you name and birth date to find out if you are registered and where you need to go to vote.

I know I'm not registered and I don't know where to go or what to bring.  You CAN register on election day at your polling place!  To find out where your polling place is, click here to visit the Government Accountability Board website.  Click here to see How to Register and Vote on Election Day, which tells you exactly what you need to bring with you. 

NO MORE EXCUSES!  GET OUT AND VOTE!!

Wordless Wednesday - GO PACK GO!

In the bottom, right picture Tyler is showing off his BabyLegs football socks! Tyler and Trevor both have these and look adorable on game day.  Not only are they cute, they're also very soft and have the grippers on the bottom.  These were our first BabyLegs Socks and we love them, almost as much as our BabyLegs legwarmers!  :-)

Toddler Tuesday - Tyler's first field trip and bus ride!

On Monday Tyler's preschool class went to Wilke's Pumpkin Patch for a field trip!  Tyler was so excited because not only did he get to go on a field trip all by himself, he got to take his first BUS RIDE!  As for me, it was harder for me to drop him off for this than it was for the first day of school.  This picture was when I was dropping him off.  You can tell he was a little nervous! 

At Wilke's the kids got to pick out a pumpkin, go on a hay ride and play for a while.  Tyler was so hungry when he got back he wouldn't even talk about the trip until he ate!  Then he couldn't stop talking about it!  Here are a couple pictures from when he got back to school.

 

 

Fisher Price Recall Information

As you may have heard, Fisher Price has recalled a large amount of products recently due to safety reasons.  Some products include toddler tricycles, high chairs and a few toys.  If you are concerned that you may own any of the recalled products, visit http://service.mattel.com/us/recall.asp for more information.

Tall Oaks Retreat

I'm writing from Tall Oaks Retreat!  I have had a wonderful extended weekend of crafting, laughing and friends, new and old!  It's been FABULOUS!  Cassie, the owner, is a great hostess and cook.  Tall Oaks was built in February, 2008 and is absolutely gorgeous with it's modern north woods decor.  It is 3,000 square feet and accommodates up to 15 people with it's five bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms!  They also have over TEN different stamping and crafting supplies for use, including a Cricut Expression, Big Shot die cutter and Scor-Pal!

This weekend I brought along my sewing machine for a few different projects!  (I know you all just fell off your chairs, but I really did!)  I finally finished the quilt purse I started at Janice's house.  It's been so long since I started it I don't even remember when it was!  It was very easy to make once I got going.  I even put a pocket on the inside and a little hanger with a snap on the bottom to hook my keys on!  (See last picture.)

  

  

 

I made Trevor some leg warmers out of knee high socks, too!  All I did was cut the feet off and put a zig-zag hem at the bottom. 

 

My most important project of the weekend was Tyler and Trevor's Halloween costumes, but that's a secret.  :-)  Sadly, it is our last day here.  The good news is, we have until 3:00 p.m. until we have to leave! 

Wordless Wednesday - A Blast From the Past

I can't believe this little boy is starting to take some steps on his own!

Cutesy Tushies Diaper Cover - Review

Some of you might remember the plastic pants from the "old days" of cloth diapering.  You had a flat diaper, folded it up, pinned the sides, then pulled on the plain old white plastic pants.  We've come a long way baby!  The flat (prefold) diapers are still a tried and true, go to item for many cloth diapering families, ours being one.  Do I use them every day?  No.  Do I trust them?  YES!  Have they changed over the years?  Of course!

We have premium prefold diapers for Trevor, which run a little bigger and are pretty bulky, so I was worried the Cutesy Tushies Diaper Cover wouldn't fit over them.  I have used the prefold (not included) in two different ways with this cover and both ways worked great!  The first way is pictured below next to the diaper cover.  The diaper is tri-folded and I add a fleece liner for stay dry protection for baby.

The other way I use the prefold is to bring it around Trevor's bottom (again, putting the fleece liner in first) and secure it using a Snappi.  This is a great product that makes fastening diapers SO much easier and faster than pins!  It works similar to the hooks that come with an ace bandage.

Now that you're aware of different ways to use a prefold diaper, here is more information on the Cutesy Tushies Diaper Covers!

Our Trials:  We were given a Cutesy Tushies Medium Diaper Cover.  The cover has fleece on the outside (which is so adorable!) and a waterproof lining on the inside.  (Also available with cotton instead of fleece.)  I'll admit, I was leery about the fleece at first, but we have used it during naps as well as when Trevor is active and there has been no leaking or wicking at all!  It fits well and is roomy enough to use with a premium prefold, which runs a little bigger.  Since receiving my diaper cover to test, Michelle has also added the elastic casing around the legs and back of the diaper, which I think will make great additions to an already great product!

Type of Diaper:  Medium Diaper Cover with fleece out and waterproof in.
Sizes: Newborn - Up to 11 lbs.
Small - 9 to 20 lbs.
Medium - 18 to 30 lbs.
Large - 22 to 40 lbs.
Features: Generous fit to accommodate premium prefolds,  elastic casing around legs, laundry tabs to attach velcro for washing.  Diaper covers with prefolds are great because you do not need a lot of covers - if the cover isn't soiled, just take it off, wipe it down and add a new prefold!
Where to find it: http://www.cutesytushies.com/  or email cutesytushies@yahoo.com for custom orders or questions.
How much does it cost: These diaper covers are a steal!  A size medium is only $12.95!



Cutesy Tushies provided me a diaper cover free of charge.  Other than product, no compensation was given to me for this review.  All statements are my own and are my honest to goodness opinion!

Wordless Wednesday - Spaghetti!

Online Surveys to Earn Extra Income

Have you ever considered doing online surveys? I have discovered a couple online survey companies that I would like to share with you! I signed up after reading about them on Centsable Momma's blog, where she updates her earnings.  For the websites I am going to share, signing up was easy and FREE.  (You should never pay to sign up with a company!) 

My favorite and fastest accumulating survey site is i-Say. Since signing up the end of June, I have received $30 in American Express cards from i-Say.  As an added bonus they have a fun Poll Predictor game to win entries in monthly drawings!  I have been a member at Valued Opinions since May and have redeemed my rewards for a $20 Amazon.com credit, which I plan to use for Christmas shopping! 

Once you create a profile you will be notified by email when a survey is available that matches your profile to the criteria they are looking for.  (ex: Female, Age 25-35, 2 children, etc.)  The emails have a simple to follow link you just click on to take you directly to the survey.  Once you get to the survey you will be asked a series of questions to see if you will qualify to take the survey.  Most take 5-30 minutes to complete and your compensation is based on the length of the survey.

Have you joined Swagbucks yet?! You can also earn SwagBucks by taking surveys there in addition to being rewarded for doing searches. If you download the toolbar I have earned 914 Swagbucks since joining the beginning of August, which can be redeemed for merchandise and gift cards!  (See my previous post for more info.)

None of these sites are huge money makers, but to make a few extra bucks while watching tv in the evening works for our family!  Leave me a comment or email me if you are interested in any of these companies and I can send you a referral email.

Bayou Classic ChickCAN Rack - Review

Josh and I purchased a Bayou Classic ChickCAN Rack at the end of the summer season about four years ago and finally decided to try it out while camping a few weeks ago. (I know, let's not rush into anything!)  I've never made a whole chicken before, so the whole process was new to us - including buying the chicken. The one I bought was a bit small for 4 adults and two small kids, but now I know for next time.  The good thing about the chicken I bought was it was all cleaned out and ready to go, all I had to do was rinse it.

The directions on the Bayou Classic ChickCAN Rack were very easy to follow. Taking the suggestion from Rick Browne's Beer Butt Chicken Recipe on the package, we seasoned the inside and outside of the chicken. Next step was drinking 1/2 the beer (best part of the whole process if you ask me!).  Ok, so the recipe said "pour out half," not "drink half," but I digress.  

I put the 1/2 can of beer in the rack and pulled the chicken over the can and stand, which kept the beer upright. I can't imagine the process of getting the can in the chicken and then making it stand upright on the grill without using a ChickCAN Rack to keep it in place.  Lastly, we used a red potato to block the neck so the moisture from the boiling chicken would remain inside the chicken. (You could also use a small onion instead.)

Since we were camping we didn't have a whole lot of spices available to us, so we kept it simple with Lawry's Seasoned Salt and some pepper.  I'm all about simple cooking, so after the success we had I'm thinking we'll use it again before another 4 years go by! There are directions included for the oven as well as a charcoal grill.  I think it would be fun to experiment with different beers or sodas, adding garlic and other spices to the beer, and using different rubs.

Pros:  Simple to use, easy to follow directions.

Cons:  NONE!  Both my husband and I loved this product!

Where to find it:  The Bayou Classic ChickCAN Rack is available in stainless steel (which is the type we used) from Amazon.com or nickel plated directly from the Bayou Classic website.