Mamavation Monday

Last week was another flat week. I'm down about .1#, so really nothing.

I had the opportunity to fit in some unique exercise over the past week. Yesterday, we took the family roller skating. When I was younger, I thought I could skate for hours - now I know better! The open skate was 3 hours long, but we were a little late in getting there, so we skated for about 2 1/2 hours. Holding onto my caughter's hand for most of the time, it was a nice slow skate. Both kids were definitely more confident about the experience this time - my son moved away from the wall and my daughter even would let go of my hand for a few minutes at a time.

What I'm worried about now is the coming week. I have a number of all day meetings, followed by evening social activities, because we are having some quarterly meetings at work. Early mornings, sitting all day and appetizers/dinners in the evening is going to make it more challenging to not only eat properly, but also to fit in any workout time.

I sure hope I am up for the challenge and can have a successful week, or at least a flat one.

This post shared at Mamavation Monday.

Menu Plan Monday

We seem to have the stuff on hand that we need for the week, so I didn't make a trip to the grocery this weekend. We likely will need to stop in mid-week for some bread and fresh fruit and vegetables, but otherwise should be good to go.

Last week, we tried four new recipes. Two were a hit, I'll try to get those posted later this week. One needs to be tweaked, so I will try to figure that out before sharing and the other one was deemed as not so good. The one that wasn't good was the roasted red pepper and noodles dinner. We even tried to doctor it when we ate it as leftovers and it still wasn't right. I think it was too much onion, but there also seemed to be something off balance in the total flavor.

Sunday
cereal
leftovers
dinner out with friends

Monday
Pizza

Tuesday
Chicken Alfredo

Wednesday
Favorite local Mexican restaurant

Thursday
Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Friday
Chicken Fingers

Saturday
TBD

Most days, it is cereal for breakfast for everyone. As for lunch, my son will either buy or pack, based on the menu for that day. I tend to pack. My husband will do a bit of both.

This post shared at Menu Plan Monday.

CVS Scenarios - week of 2/27

There seem to be a few free and money-maker deals, as well as some deals on things that I could use a restock on. Some of my coupons expire tomorrow, so I definitely need to try for an early week trip to CVS.

Transaction #1
1 - Crest ProHealth Rinse
1 - Crest Satin Floss

-$1 Crest ProHealth Rinse mfg coupon (there was one last month for the smaller size)
-$.75 Satin floss mfg coupon

Total $4.83 OOP, earn $6.58 in ECBs.

Transaction #2
2 - Oral B Cross Action Power Toothbrushes
1 - Kashi Go Lean

-$3 Oral B Cross Action Power Toothbrush mfg coupon
-$3 Oral B Cross Action Power Toothbrush mfg coupon
-$1 Kashi Mfg coupon (or print one here)

Total $8, pay with $6.58 in ECBs and $1.42 OOP. Earn $6 ECBs.

Transaction #3
2 - Dove Shampoo/Conditioner
1 - Dove Deodorant
1 - Vaseline Lotion
1 - Kashi Go Lean

-$1 Dove Shampoo/Conditioner mfg coupon
-$1 Dove Shampoo/Conditioner mfg coupon
-$2 Dove Deodorant mfg coupon
-$5.79 Vaseline Free mfg coupon
-$1 Kashi mfg coupon (or print one here)

Total $7.50, pay with $6 ECBs and $1.50 OOP. Earn $5 and $2 ECBs.

Transaction #4
1 - Revitalens Multi-Purpose Solution
1 - Arizona Tea, gallon

Total $7.98, pay with $7 in ECBs and $.98 OOP. Earn $5.99 ECBs.

In these four transactions, you would have purchased $47.85 in product for only $8.73 OOP, with $5.99 ECBs remaining to roll, a savings of about 84%.

In addition to the above, I need to see what the Nexxus Products are priced at. I have two $3 coupons from recently received samples, so the spend $20 get $10 ECB deal could work out to allow me to get $20 in product for a net of about $4. Not too bad from my perspective. I just don't know whether that will be two items or more and how much over $20 I will have to spend to qualify.

For more deals and scenarios, check out Money Saving Mom and Deal Seeking Mom.

CVS $5 Challenge
Transaction #1
1 - Crest ProHealth Rinse
1 - Crest Satin Floss

-$1 Crest ProHealth Rinse mfg coupon (there was one last month for the smaller size)
-$.75 Satin floss mfg coupon

Total $4.83 OOP, earn $6.58 in ECBs.

Transaction #2
1 - Revitalens Multi-Purpose Solution
1 - Dove Deodorant

-$2 Dove Deodorant mfg coupon

Total $7.49, pay with $6.58 in ECBs and $.91 OOP. Earn $5.99 ECBs.

Transaction #3
2 - Oral B Cross Action Power Toothbrushes

-$3 Oral B Cross Action Power Toothbrush mfg coupon
-$3 Oral B Cross Action Power Toothbrush mfg coupon

Total $6, pay with $5.99 in ECBs and $0.01 OOP. Earn $6 ECBs.

Transaction #4
2 - Kashi Go Lean
1 - Dove Shampoo

-$1 Kashi mfg coupon
-$1 Kashi mfg coupon
-$1 Dove Shampoo mfg coupon

Total $6.00, pay with $6.00 ECBs. Earn $2 ECBs.

Transaction #5
1 - Dove Conditioner
1 - Vaseline Lotion

-$1 Dove Conditioner mfg coupon
-$5.79 Vaseline Free mfg coupon

Total $2, pay with $2 ECBs. Earn $5 ECBs.

For the trip, your total would be $5.75 OOP, with $5 in ECBs to roll, for $45.86 in product. A savings of about 89%. Of course, I broke two "rules" - I had too many transactions and my OOP was over $5 - but I still think it is a great set of scenarios for minimal OOP.

For more $5 Scenarios, check out the CVS $5 Challenge.

CVS Deals - 2/22

So, we have had some crazy snow in NEO. Somewhere between the two storms, I made my way to CVS. I was able to pick up most of my deals, but one of my coupons didn't work. I have been meaning to call customer service, but haven't had a chance.

4 - Snickers/Milky Ways
1 - Cadbury Egg
1 - Colgate Max Fresh Toothpaste
2 - John Frieda Stylers
2 - CVS Vitamin C
1 - GE Jelly Beans

-$.50 B3G1 Milky Way IP
-$1 Colgate mfg coupon
-$2 John Frieda Styler mfg coupon
-$2 John Frieda Styler mfg coupon

Paid with $17.58 in ECBs and $.43 plus tax OOP. Earned $1, $3, $2, $.99 and $.75 ECBs.

This post shared at Super Savings Saturday.

Samples and Freebies

Requested:
Ocean Spray Sparkling Juice - after many attempts, I timed a visit to Facebook just right!
Miracle Whip sample

Received:
Atkins Bar samples
John Frieda FrizzEase sample
Vaseline Repairing Moisture sample and coupon
Downy sample

Meet Einstein

I'm a science kind of girl. In fact, my undergraduate degree is in engineering. I think that I have always loved math and science. I can't say that there was any one thing in my childhood that helped pique my interests in this arena, I just know that I have always liked them.

Since I love science, I do try to expose my kids to concepts of science and math. I love taking them on visits to the science center. I also think I have a tendency to use math and science to explain things to them as well. I don't need for them to follow in my footsteps, but I'd like them to have a good foundation and not see either subject as scary.


The new book Meet Einstein by Mariela Kleiner and illustrated by Viviana Garafoli is a fun way to introduce your kids to science and the idea that science is every where around you. It opens by introducing the kids to Einstein and the word scientist. Then, by way of activities that a scientist might engage in, it explains a bit about what a scientist is. Then it moves on to the subject of light and shows different sources of light and types of light. Next, it talks about gravity, providing a nice simple definition that kids can relate to: "Gravity is the reason why things fall down to the ground". The illustration on this page shows kids at play sliding, falling and dropping things. It goes on to provide more information about gravity, including its relationship to the sun coming up in the morning and down every night. The book closes by connecting the light and gravity back to Einstein and a simple statement about "maybe you will be a scientist too".

The inside of the cover (is there a term for that?) is covered in images of things that you might associate with science and nature. There is the "Erlenmeyer Flask: is great for mixing liquids (or chemicals) without spilling" and "Microscope: to look at ity-bity stuff" and many more. I thought this was a cute little enhancement to the book.

I really like how the book touches on science in an informative, easy to understand way. The illustrations through out the book are well done. My daughter, who is four, really enjoyed the book and was upset when I took it out of her room to bring downstairs to look at while I typed. My son, who is seven, tells me that he "already knew all that stuff". Based on their perspective, I would think that this is a great book for a slightly younger set, evidently by the time you get to second grade, you know it all.

You can learn more by checking out the book website. You can also follow on http://twitter.com/MeetEinstein or Like on Facebook. The book is scheduled for release next Tuesday (March 1) and should be available at your favorite local or online retailer.

Want to enter to win a copy? The MamaBuzz team has a giveaway going on for Meet Einstein. You can find the Meet Einstein giveaway here.

No compensation was received for this post. A copy of Meet Einstein was provided through MamaBzz. All opinions expressed are my own.

Homemade Bread

Generally, I do the grocery shopping for the family. Shortly before Christmas, my husband was running errands and offered to stop at the store for me. I thought this would help me save time, so I was more than willing. I made a list and off he went. One of the things on my list was flour for cookie baking. Of course, I wanted all purpose flour, but when my husband arrived home, he had bread flour. I knew that if we returned it to the store, there was a chance that the product would be thrown out, so I decided to keep it. And thus began my bread baking experiment.

I tried a couple off different recipes over the past few months. There were some that were good and some that were average at best. We tried one using cream cheese that wasn't too bad, but it seemed heavy for regular use. Last weekend I tried a new recipe that I really liked. I have already made a second loaf.


White Bread
1 c warm water (110 F)
1/3 c white sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp canola oil
3 c bread flour
1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast

Layer the ingredients in your bread maker according to the instructions.

The first time, I made the bread in my bread maker. I used the 1.5# loaf settings.

The second time, I used the dough setting on my bread maker. Then, I pulled out the dough, kneaded it and shaped into a loaf. I placed it in my loaf pan and let it rise for about 30 minutes. Then, baked at 350F for 30 minutes.

I think I liked it a little bit better out of the oven. I felt like the crust was a bit more crusty than it had been from the bread maker. The crust is the best part of any bread.

Turns out that even when I made it in a bread pan in the oven, my typical slice is still about 2 oz, which is about 4 PointsPlus values when I entered the recipe in on the eTools Recipe Builder.

This week's theme over at the Ultimate Recipe Swap on Life As Mom is Cozy Supper, this may not be a full supper, but pair it with some Chicken and Dumplins or a nice pot roast and you have a mighty fine cozy supper!

This post shared at the GCC Recipe Swap and Frugal Food Thursday.

Cinnamon Burst Cheerios prize pack winner

Congratulations to janetfaye! She was selected as the winner of the Cinnamon Burst Cheerios cereal prize pack giveaway.

Thanks everyone for entering and be sure to check out the other giveaways hosted on A Busy Mom of Two.

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

81
Timestamp: 2011-02-24 03:03:52 UTC

I knew I should have...

gotten a picture of my grass when it was showing.



Aside from a crazy drive home, you have to admit it is sort of pretty and very serene when the world is blanketed in snow.

This post shared at Wordless Wednesday.

Keeping It Fresh

When I was younger, I remember eating fresh fruit, but I don't remember a lot of variety. I know that we had oranges, apples, bananas and grapes. I'm not sure, but I'm guessing that many of the fruits that are available at the store now, simply weren't as readily available. We always had our share of fresh strawberries, some of which we even picked. I can remember picking apples, but I think we made most of those into apple sauce. I remember having apples at Grandma and Grandpa's house. I was always impressed that they could peel a whole apple in one continuous strip - I still can't do that to this day. I can remember fruit salad, made with pomegranates and kiwis, every Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle's house. When I was pregnant with my son, I craved fruit. I think I mostly needed more fluids and I couldn't drink another cup of water, but I could eat fruit in all of it's moist deliciousness.

There are so many wonderful things about fruit. They are cool and fresh. They can be sweet or tart. They can be crunchy or soft. You can even eat them to fill a salt craving (know anyone that salts their watermelon?). They can be eaten on their own, or with cheese, or prepared in a recipe, or on a salad.

I try to make sure that we always have fresh fruit in the house. As seasons change, so do the types of fresh fruit that we have on hand. Making it a quick, easy to reach for snack (or dessert), helps me make sure that my family is eating healthy and getting a variety of nutrients.

I love fruit on my cereal - bananas, strawberries and blueberries are the most common fruits that we have. They are also good on oatmeal or cooked into pancakes. In the summer, we pick up extra blueberries and freeze them. We love to add frozen blueberries to our cereal. The milk crystallizes around the blueberries and they are cool, frosty and bursting with flavor.

Nights when I pull out the blender and make a quick smoothie with just fresh fruit (generally that fruit has been frozen) and some yogurt, the kids think it is a real treat. I read over on Money Saving Mom, how she uses smoothies to sneak in ingredients - I haven't done that, but it probably is a great way to get nutrients that your children otherwise avoid. Who would notice if you added a few carrots or a little spinach. You would need to minimize for the color, but it would be easy.

Some of my favorite desserts are fruit based. Whether it is a crisp, a cobbler or a pie - count me in! There is just something so satisfying about the taste of a fruit dessert. My grandma also used to make apple cake, apple strudel and a rhubarb cake - all super delicious. Of course, you can't forget banana bread or banana cake! Yum. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

I have this salad from time to time that is simply greens topped with strawberry slices, mandarin orange slices, tomatoes and banana pepper rings. It is such a juicy, flavorful salad that I never use salad dressing for this salad (best part is, now that fresh fruit is Zero PointsPlus Value on the new Weight Watchers - it is Zero PointsPlus values for the whole salad - yum!!).

Fruit is so versatile and so yummy and as an added bonus is pretty good for you too! That works for me.

This post shared at Works for Me Wednesday.

Mamavation Monday

Finally, a week where there was a noticeable difference on the scale. It felt like a fairly flat week for most of the week, which is so frustrating, but at the end, I pulled it out.

That is one thing that I really struggle with. When I am eating right and exercising and I am staying flat or gaining/losing .2#, I start to eat out of frustration. I start to get it in my head that it doesn't matter if I'm eating right and exercising or not, I get the same outcome. This causes me to become a little lax in tracking portion size and nibble on things without counting them - it was only one bite right? It makes it easier to hit snooze - getting up early to exercise isn't helping me right? Unfortunately, when I do this, I wind up staying flat or slightly up or down. It is in some ways a self-fulfilling prophecy that helps me in my head justify it the next time - see I only did part of a workout or I ate this or that and I didn't gain (or didn't gain much) so there is nothing wrong with it. Except it keeps me from my goal.

I resisted the urge this weekend to eat out of frustration and I lost weight. Okay, it was only a pound, but a pound is a pound. I even did that with some shortened workouts. That is one thing that I am definitely good at doing - part of a workout, which is a good thing. It used to be that if I couldn't do the full workout, I would just skip it. Now, I do as much as I can or find an alternate DVD that will fit in my available time. This activity is definitely a key to my success. I just need to keep up the motivation.

One of my key struggles this week was homemade bread. I found a recipe and made it. It was awesome - especially warm and fresh. I made it in my bread maker, which makes such a tall loaf that each slice was about 2 oz and worth 4 PointsPlus Values! Next time, I think I will use a traditional bread pan so that I can get 2 slices for 4 PointsPlus Values. Mentally, eating two smaller pieces is more filling than one tall piece - plus it will fit in my toaster better!

I missed my Weight Watchers meeting last night, there was crazy snow here yesterday and oh by the way, it was President's Day, which equals few plows to start with. In fact, my normally 30 minute commute (11 miles) took me 90 minutes to complete and I passed 1! plow the entire drive home. So, it was hard to convince myself that a drive across town was worth it.

This post shared at Mamavation Monday. This week's Mamavation Monday is sponsored by SEARS FitStudio, who asks: What motivates you to get going and what keeps you going? Success. Every time I put on my clothes that are a size smaller (even though it hasn't changed in a long time), it gives me confidence and keeps me motivated to keep eating right and exercising. It inspires me that I could lose what I want and be in good condition.

No compensation was received for this post. I am a Weight Watchers Insider for the new Weight Watchers PointsPlus program and have received complimentary online access to Weight Watchers, an IPad with the Weight Watchers Kitchen Companion App downloaded, a Flip Camera and other tools to help me on my weight loss journey, using Weight Watchers. 'People following the Weight Watchers plan can expect to lose 1 - 2 pounds per week.' This Mamavation Monday post is sponsored by SEARS FitStudio and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway hosted by Mamavation and sponsored by Sears.

Hot Wheels Super Fan Family Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to DawnM! She was selected as the Hot Wheels Super Fan Family Prize Pack giveaway winner.

According to Dawn, her son is a huge fan of Hot Wheels cars.

Thanks everyone for entering and be sure to check out the other current giveaways on A Busy Mom of Two.

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

81
Timestamp: 2011-02-22 02:54:33 UTC

Green Giant Vegetables - a giveaway

I'm pretty lucky, my kids love to eat vegetables. Whether it is fresh vegetables cut up and eaten plain or with some ranch dressing or hummus, or it is cooked vegetables there are few that they don't like. Like anyone, they have some that they prefer to be cooked over raw and some that they prefer to be raw over cooked. My son prefers his cauliflower cooked and my daughter prefers her carrots raw.

Saturday, as I was asking what everyone wanted for lunch, my son headed downstairs to see if there were any frozen meals. He came back with a box of Green Giant Honey Glazed Carrots and asked if he could have them for lunch, along with a PB&J. We suggested having carrots from the fridge at lunch and the other ones at dinner.

As a family, we love the Green Giant boxed vegetables. My husband's favorite is the Green Beans with Almonds, the kids like the Broccoli & Cheese Sauce, and I like the Asparagus Cuts. As a member of Weight Watchers, vegetables are an important part in helping me succeed. With so many varieties of Green Giant boxed vegetables to choose from, I don't have to worry about eating the same vegetable every day. What makes it even nicer is that even the varieties that include a sauce aren't high in calories, like the Broccoli & Cheese Sauce for example is still only 60 calories per serving (or 2 Weight Watchers PointsPlus values). The fact that they only take a few minutes to steam in the microwave, I can quickly include them as part of dinner (or pack them as a quick side at lunch!).

Here is some information that Green Giant shared:

Green Giant Boxed Vegetables can help you stay on track to achieve your weight management goals in 2011. Twenty-nine delicious varieties are now endorsed by Weight Watchers®, and most have only a 1 or 2 PointsPlus® value per serving! Packed with flavor and ready in minutes, Green Giant Boxed Vegetables are available in a wide variety of flavors, many featuring mouthwatering sauces and seasonings. They’re a terrific addition to any meal and a delicious way to achieve better health in 2011.

Don’t forget to visit Green Giant on Facebook and Green Giant on Twitter and “Like” or “Follow” the brand to keep up with their latest and greatest products! For more information and great recipe ideas visit http://greengiant.com/.

Giveaway!
Thanks to Green Giant through MyBlogSpark, I have the opportunity to giveaway a Green Giant prize pack to one A Busy Mom of Two reader. The Green Giant prize pack includes one VIP coupon for Green Giant Boxed Vegetables, in addition to an insulated tote bag, serving bowl, spoon, and pedometer.


To enter: Leave a comment answering this question: Which variety/how do you enjoy your Green Giant Boxed Vegetables?

Additional Entries (leave a comment for each additional entry)

Follow A Busy Mom of Two on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway: Enter to win Green Giant Prize Pack, ends 3/17. #giveaway #myblogspark http://bit.ly/gMxGH3 This can be once daily, please be sure to leave a link to the tweet in your comment.

Post about this giveaway on your blog and leave a comment with a link to your post

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Giveaway will remain open until March 17th at 6pm. Winner will be selected using Random.org random number generator. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (Please make sure that your email address is either in your comment or clearly visible on your profile or blog) and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner may be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. Green Giant provided me with the product and information through MyBlogSpark. In addition, I am an advocate for Weight Watchers.

Menu Plan Monday

Is the weekend over already? It was a good weekend. I didn't do anything big, but we did do a lot of little things, which is always a good thing too. The kids spent time playing with PlayDoh - I think it has been a couple of months since we pulled that out, we played a few games of Life, my son got to go outside and play, my daughter took a nap both days - that never happens!, and I did a little bit of organization, a little bit of relaxing and a lot of laundry. I also made some bread in my bread machine. It was an easy recipe for white bread. I will have to share that recipe this week.

Part of organization was my husband going through some stacks of papers that were in his office. In one of those stacks was a bunch of recipe clippings from the paper, magazines, and who knows where else. He sorted through them and got rid of the things that he didn't think sounded good and we narrowed it down quite a bit. I now have a stack of recipes to try. If we like them, we add them to the cookbook, if not we dump them. I am including four recipes this week in our menu plan. If my family deems them to be successes, I will post the recipes for everyone else to try.

A quick trip to the store on Sunday to pick up essentials for the weekly menu was the shopping I did - the only time I left the house (or at least the property, I was in the garage and driveway) this weekend.

Sunday
cereal
leftovers
Stuffed Peppers Casserole

Monday
Chicken and Noodles in Roasted Red Pepper Sauce (new recipe)

Tuesday
Three Cheese Spaghetti Pizza (new recipe)

Wednesday
Cheeseburgers on the grill - it's supposed to be in the upper 30s and sunny.

Thursday
Chicken Cutlets with Sliced Baked Potatoes (two new recipes)

Friday
Roasted Shrimp and Tomatoes

Saturday
Pork Tenderloin with Mashed Potatoes

Most days, it is cereal for breakfast for everyone. As for lunch, my son will either buy or pack, based on the menu for that day. I tend to pack. My husband will do a bit of both.

This post shared at Menu Plan Monday.

Sound of Music - BluRay and Soundtrack

One of my favorite movies of all time is The Sound of Music. In fact, you may have heard me mention that more than a few times on this blog.

Last fall, shortly after the Sing Along tour, The Sound of Music soundtrack and movie were re-released. I was really happy to receive a copy of both the Soundtrack and the Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack with 3 discs.

The Soundtrack, which is a 45th Anniversary Special Edition version, includes all the songs from the movie and includes a special recording of Lea Michele, from Glee, singing My Favorite Things. The combo pack, which is the 45th Anniversary Edition, comes packed full of extra features and footage. First, the movie is in high definition. Plus, you can watch it with on screen lyrics, just like at the Sing Along. There are audio commentaries with Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer and Director Robert Wise. There is a featurette about the making of the movie and so much more!

I mentioned last fall that I thought my daughter was too young to take to see the Sing-a-Long in the theater, but I figured that in the comfort of our own home, we could sit down together and watch it. That way, if she couldn't sit still for the duration or needed a bathroom break, we could take advantage of pause.

I warmed her up to the show by starting to play the songs in the car, right after we received the CD. I started with some of the catchier songs, like Do-Re-Mi and My Favorite Things. Then, I added in I Have Confidence and Maria. I'm not sure how much attention she paid, but she didn't ask me to skip them, so she had a chance to become familiar with the music.

Then, one afternoon, when my husband and son were watching a boy movie in the media room, I suggested to her that we watch the Sound of Music. I was surprised, she sat still and watched the whole thing. That meant that I got to watch the whole movie straight through. She told me that she liked it. In fact, it has been a few months since we watched it the first time and she can't stop talking about it. I find her singing Do Re Mi from time to time and A Problem Like Maria. She calls it the mountain movie and asks regularly about watching it again.

She watched it again last weekend, mostly without me, as I was preparing dinner in the kitchen. When her brother came into the room, she was busy trying to tell him who everyone was (with lots of questions to mom - is that her big brother and which one is Maria?). She was rather concerned when the movie went to Intermission - in fact, I had to skip it. I tried to explain why it was included, but she didn't care. I guess that is one difference that will always exist, I grew up watching it on TV, complete with commercials. I think I was in high school the first time I watched it on VHS and was able to see the movie without interruptions, although I did have to change the tape at the intermission since it didn't all fit on one. I was an adult before I got my own copy on DVD and could watch it when I wanted. She will likely only ever know watching it on DVD, because really, why would we watch it on TV when we can watch it on DVD?

I love that she is growing up and I can start to share things that were my favorite things when I was a little girl (and many of which still are today). I have books and movies that I can't wait to share with her. Of course, part of me still wants her to slow down and stay a little girl longer - time goes too fast.

No compensation was received for this post. Sony sent me a complimentary copy of the BluRay DVD Combo and the Soundtrack for my review. All opinions expressed are my own.

CVS Scenarios - week of 2/20

CVS is looking a little dangerous if you are trying to watch what you eat. There are a lot of candy deals, mostly singles and King Size, available this week. I likely will pick them up and then plan to share them at work, so that I don't have the pressure of it sitting in my pantry beckoning me to eat them.

Transaction #1
1 - Cadbury Mini Eggs
1 - Gold Emblem Jelly Beans
4 - Milky Ways
3 - King Size M&Ms

-$.50 B2G1 Milky Way IP (doesn't seem to be available anymore)

Total $6.24 OOP, earn $.75, $.99, $1 and $1 ECB.

Transaction #2
1 - Colgate Toothpaste (for after I eat the candy!)

-$1 Colgate mfg coupon

Total $1.99, pay with $1 and $.99 ECBs from Transaction #1. Earn $2 ECBs.

Transaction #3
2 - John Frieda Stylers

-$2 John Frieda Styler mfg coupon
-$2 John Frieda Styler mfg coupon

Total $6, pay with $3.75 in ECBs from Transaction #1 and 2 and $2.25 OOP. Earn $3 ECBs.

Transaction #4
6 - Arizon Iced Teas

Total $3, pay with $3 ECBs from Transaction #2.

Total OOP for the day is $8.49 for $22.73 in product at sale prices, a savings of about 63%.

I might also look to pick up some vitamins, I see that there are a few that are on sale BOGO this week. In addition, I was looking at the Purex 3-in-1 sheets that are on sale for $3.99 and there is a $3 mfg coupon. I have seen it BOGO at Rite Aid, if it is less than $7.98 each at Rite Aid, it would feel like a better deal there...otherwise, I will plan to pick those up at CVS for the $.99 after coupon. Now, if only I can find some more coupons for it.

For more deals and scenarios, check out Money Saving Mom and Deal Seeking Mom.

CVS $5 Challenge

Transaction #1
4 - Milky Way singles
1 - Cadbury Egg

-$.50 B2G1 Milky Way IP

Total $2.25 OOP, earn $1 and $.75 ECBs.

Transaction #2
1 - Colgate Toothpaste

-$1 Colgate mfg coupon

Total $1.99, pay with $1 and $.75 ECBs and $.24 OOP. Earn $2 ECBs.

Transaction #3
1 - Gold Emblem Jelly Beans
1 - Purex 3-in-1 Sheets

-$3 Purex mfg coupon

Total $1.98, pay with $2 ECBs adjusted down. Earn $.99 ECB.

Transaction #4
2 - Arizona Iced Tea

Total $1, pay with $.99 ECB and $.01 OOP.

Total OOP of $2.50 for $11.72 in product at sale prices, a savings of about 79%.

For more $5 Scenarios, check out the CVS $5 Challenge.

Playing Dress-Up

My kids love to play dress-up. On any random day, it is not completely uncommon for them to decide it is time to dress-up. I think this is a great way for them to be creative. Plus, it is a great way to entertain them on a cold or rainy afternoon, where playing outside just isn't an option.

Last weekend, my daughter put on her Tinkerbell dress and my son put on his Superman costume. My daughter was upset because Superman and Tinkerbell didn't go together. She thought he should dress up like a Prince or a King, to go with her Princess costume. Eventually, we agreed that Superman and Tinkerbell both fly, so they did go together. We had a babysitter and when we went to pick her up, they both came along and wore their costumes. They told her to let them get in the house before she came in. They quickly came in and put back on the cape and wings that they couldn't wear when they were in the car. When she walked in, they jumped out and showed off their costumes.

For us, the start of our dress-up collection consisted of former Halloween costumes. The collection also includes dress-up clothing that was from a party - my daughter has some from friend's parties and her own and my son has a prince costume from my daughter's party. Others are items that we have picked up in the off-season.

Our most recent adddition is a Toy Story costumes to choose from.


When the costume arrived in the mail, my daughter was sooooo excited. She has been saying since last year, that next year she wants to be Buzz Lightyear for Halloween. She was very excited to try it on. It's a little bit big for her, but I wanted to make sure that it would fit her this fall, especially if it was a cold night and she needed to bundle up. The first thing that she asked about after putting on the costume was where are the wings. Unfortunately, the wings are currently out of stock, so we will have to pick those up later. The next thing she asked was where the laser was. I explained that you couldn't put a real laser on a costume, it wouldn't be safe. She questioned back about why they couldn't have put a light on it. I explained that there isn't power on the costume and you would need power to make it light up. She wasn't happy about it, but she accepted my answer.

I'll probably let her wear it some for dress-up between now and Halloween, as I'm sure that she will want to, but I'm hoping that we can keep from getting it messed up before Halloween. After Halloween though, it will become part of her dress-up collection stored in easy reach for the weekend dress-up days.

No compensation was received for this post. Costuem Discounters provided me with the Buzz Lightyear costume for the purposes of completing a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Yoplait Kids Yogurt - a Giveaway

I mentioned the other day how hectic things have been lately. As the kids get older, I find that life is increasingly more busy. I want them to have the chance to try out sports and other activities that interest them and I want them to learn to swim. When my son was younger, most of the activities seemed to be Saturday morning type activities. As he has gotten older, not only have the activities started to include week nights, now they seem to require multiple events in the same week - between practices and games. In addition, with our local pool closing, we have had to start taking swimming lessons at the Y in a nearby community. The class time that works best, considering the drive and the want to keep them both in class at the same time, turned out to be a weeknight.

We don't always have time to have dinner before we head off to practice or swimming. On those nights, I want the kids to have some sort of a nourishing snack that will help keep them going until we get home to have dinner as a family. I offer them a handful of choices - cheese, fruit and yogurt. All things that I feel good about giving them.

One of the staples on my weekly shopping trip is yogurt. I'm fortunate that my kids will eat most types of yogurt, but still I like to "treat" them to special kids cups that feature their favorite characters. When I'm looking for special kids cups, Yoplait Kids yogurt is an easy choice. There are a variety of flavors that the kids like. Here is some information that Yoplait shared with me on their Yoplait Kids yogurt:

Yoplait Kids has an excellent source of both calcium and vitamin D, a good source of protein and the delicious taste kids demand. It also contains 25% less sugar than the leading kids’ yogurt, and has no high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners. Yoplait Kids yogurt is a snack you can feel confident about serving to your kids!

With tasty flavor options, as well as calcium, vitamin D and protein to help build strong bones, Yoplait Kids yogurt is sure to be popular with parents and kids alike. A great value at just $2.00 for a pack of four, this yogurt comes in three delicious flavors, including Strawberry, Strawberry Banana and Vanilla. Kids will love finding their favorite friends, like Dora the Explorer, Lightning McQueen from the hit movie “Cars” and the Disney Princesses, on every cup.

Yoplait Kids has also partnered with well-known mom-blogger, Christine Coppa, Mama's Boy blogger at parenting.com and author of Rattled! (Broadway Books, 2009), who has developed helpful snacking tips for moms with young children including:

• Tips about healthy snack ideas


• Tips about portable snacks


• Tips about making snack time fun

To keep up the latest news from Yoplait, be sure to visit Yoplait on Facebook to “Like” the brand. Also, be sure to “Follow” Yoplait on Twitter.

Want to try some for less? You can go here to print a coupon for $.50 off the purchase of one (1) four-pack of Yoplait Kids yogurt.

Giveaway
Courtesy of Yoplait Yogurt, through MyBlogSpark, I have the opportunity for one A Busy Mom of Two reader to win a Yoplait Kids Yogurt Prize pack. The Yoplait Kids prize pack includes a coupon for a four-pack of Yoplait Kids yogurt, a foldable travel cooler (to take your yogurt on-the-go), a cool four-piece spoon set, a power magnet picture frame, trendy alphabet-shaped “Kiddie Bands”, a great big bounce ball and a “My First Scavenger Hunt” card game for some after-snack fun.

To enter: Leave a comment answering the following question: How do you fit wholesome snacks in your child's diet or what challenges do you have in getting your children to eat wholesome snacks?

Additional Entries (leave a comment for each additional entry)

Follow A Busy Mom of Two and YoplaitYogurt on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway: Enter to win an @YoplaitYogurt Kids Yogurt Prize Pack, ends 3/10. #giveaway #myblogspark. This can be once daily, please be sure to leave a link to the tweet in your comment.

Post about this giveaway on your blog and leave a comment with a link to your post

Sign up to receive daily updates. Leave a comment letting me know you subscribe (or that you already do)

Giveaway will remain open until March 10th at 6pm. Winner will be selected using Random.org random number generator. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (Please make sure that your email address is either in your comment or clearly visible on your profile or blog) and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner may be selected.

*This coupon offer for a free four pack of Yoplait Kids yogurt is not valid in some states, including California, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota and Tennessee.

No compensation was received for this post. Yoplait provided me with the free product, information, and giveaway through MyBlogSpark. In addition, they are providing a prize pack for the giveaway.

Samples and Freebies

Requested:
Atkins Bars

Received:
Amsterdam Pen Sample - came with my blog name on it, how cool!
Free Cup of Yoplait coupon from Facebook offer
Being Girl Sample pack - including Tampax, Always and Secret Sample and coupons
Covergirl natureluxe silk foundation sample and coupons (they should probably ask for a color for foundation samples, but then again, maybe the point is just to see how silky it feels on)
Maggi Soup and coupon

Other fun mail:
Russel Stover Assorted Chocolate Heart - my husband's fraternity sent to me, since I'm his Sweetheart
Trivial Pursuit Steal - won this one in a giveaway many months ago!
Gym In A Shoe - won on a giveaway
Yoga DVD - won on a giveaway

Walmart Deals

I made a quick stop to Walmart on Monday evening to pick up a few things that I had expiring coupons for that I knew that they would have the best deal on and would do a little price matching to avoid an additional stop. A quick stop is sort of an oxymoron when you consider that it is a Supercenter and even if all you need is milk, it takes a while to get in and out...but relative to most shopping trips, it was a quick trip.

6 - boxes Post Cereal (price matched to $2/ea)
2 - boxes Fruit Snacks (Gushers and Fruit Roll Ups)
1 - Slim Fast snack bars
2 - Huggies Pull-Ups Wipes
1 - Shout Stain Catcher
1 - Hormel Kids Compleats
1 - CFL Lightbulb

-$1 $1/2 Post mfg coupon
-$1 $1/2 Post mfg coupon
-$1 $1/2 Post mfg coupon
-$1.50 Slim Fast IP
-$1 Huggies Pull-Ups Wipes IP
-$1 Huggies Pull-Ups Wipes IP
-$1 Shout Stain Catcher mfg coupon
-$1 Hormel Kids Compleats mfg coupon
-$1 GE Lightbulb mfg coupon
-$.50 Fruit Snacks mfg coupon

Total $20.52, which I put on my gift card - so it was sort of free to me! Either way, I still feel like $20 isn't too bad for 6 boxes of cereal, the Shout Stain Catcher, the lightbulb, the snacks and more.

This post shared at Super Savings Saturday.

CVS Deals - 2/14

Wow! What a busy week it has been, I can't believe it is already Friday! I had really grand intentions at the beginning of the week and it was just so busy.

Fortunately, I made it to CVS at the beginning of the week. Here's what I got:


Transaction #1
1 - AirWick FreshMatic starter kit

-$4 AirWick FreshMatic starter kit mfg coupon

Paid with $1 and $.99 ECBs and $.39 OOP. I earned $10 ECBs. This was a raincheck that I had from a few weeks ago. I only had this to purchase to complete the deal.

Transaction #2
2 - Colgate Sensitive
1 - Speed Stick
1 - Kit Kat
3 - Reese Cups

-$1 Colgate Sensitive mfg coupon
-$1 Colgate Sensitive mfg coupon
-$.50 Speed Stick mfg coupon
-$.89 BOGO Hershey mfg coupon
-$.89 BOGO Hershey mfg coupon

Paid with $10 ECB from Transaction #1, adjusted down to $9.85. When I asked, they told me it was $9.97 before tax...if I had known it was $.15 I would have added a caramel or something to the order, just to not "lose" $.15 on the deal. I also had to pay $.21 OOP for the sales tax. I earned $7.58 and $2 ECBs.

Not too bad, for the day, I increased my ECBs by $7.59 and only spent $.60 OOP.

This post shared at Super Savings Saturday.

CSN Stores - A Giveaway!

Have you had a chance to check out CSN Stores? They offer an amazing range of products in their over 200 stores. You can find products like games, art supplies, strollers and swing sets for kids, products like flooring, bathroom fixtures and vanities for home improvement projects, and even supplies for your pets.

My biggest challenge when shopping at CSN Stores generally is deciding what I want to buy. With so many different products to choose from, it makes choosing that much harder.

Tonight, I was exploring their flooring store. I have carpeting in my dining room and would love to replace that with a wood floor. They have several options in both laminate and hard wood flooring. I think I will wait until spring to do this home improvement project, but have bookmarked a couple that I liked.

Then, even though we have been having a warm spell and the snow is finally melting and I hope to get the kids outside to play some more, I was exploring the arts and crafts section in their toy store. Why? Because I have lived in Ohio long enough to know that it will be cold and snowy again before winter is over, even if the groundhog didn't see his shadow. Plus, next likely comes a wet spring, with plenty of rainy afternoons that I will need to fill with activity. While exploring, I found that they have these Melissa and Doug Jumbo Coloring Pads in pink and blue - which I think would make a nice option to entertain the kids on a cold and snowy or rainy day.

Giveaway!
Courtesy of CSNStores.com, I have the opportunity to host a giveaway of one $40 Gift Card good at any of the over 200 stores that are part of CSN Stores.

To enter: Visit CSN Stores. Then, leave a comment on this post sharing what you would put your gift card towards.

Additional Entries (leave a comment for each additional entry)

•Follow A Busy Mom of Two on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. This can be once daily, please be sure to leave a link to the tweet in your comment.

•Post about this giveaway on your blog and leave a comment with a link to your post.

•Sign up to receive daily updates. Leave a comment letting me know you subscribe (or that you already do).

Giveaway will remain open until March 15th at 6pm and is open to residents of US and Canada only. Winner will be selected using Random.org random number generator. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (Please make sure that your email address is either in your comment or clearly visible on your profile or blog) and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner may be selected.


No compensation was received for this post. I have the opportunity to giveaway a $40 gift card to CSN stores, courtesy of CSN Stores as a CSN Preferred Blogger. In addition, I will receive the two coloring pads I mentioned above.

A Heatbeat Away - Winner!

Congratulations to the winner of the autographed copy of A Heartbeat Away - Shelley!

A Heartbeat Away was released yesterday and is available both on line and in your favorite bookstores.

Thanks everyone for entering and be sure to check out the other giveaways currently going on - you can find the links on the sidebar.

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

17
Timestamp: 2011-02-16 10:46:45 UTC

Primrose Schools Family Dance-Off

Primrose Schools has launched a national campaign to promote physical activity and healthy lifestyle choices by encouraging families across the country to boogie on down! From February 1st through March 26th, capture a 30 second family dance video and enter it in the Family Dance-off for a chance to win a grand prize of $5000 and a $30,000 donation to your local Children's Miracle Network Hospital. There are also prizes for second and third place, plus all 14 finalists will receive a Flip camcorder.

With their second annual Family Dance-off, Primrose Schools, the leader in educational child care, is helping to fight the childhood obesity epidemic. They are partnering with Children's Miracle Network Hospitals® to promote physical activity, healthy lifestyle choices and quality family time, things all Moms can get behind!

Here's how you and your family can enter the Primrose Family Dance-off competition:

1. Record a 30-second video of your family's best dance moves. Don't be afraid to let loose and be silly!

2. Visit The Family Dance-off site and upload your best take by March 19.

3. Share your video with your friends via email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

4. View and vote daily (you can place five votes per day) for your favorite family dance video!

Not only is dancing a fun, easy way to incorporate more activity into your routine, but when you do it as a family, you can enjoy some quality time together.

The Family Dance-off supports Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, a non-profit organization that raises funds for more than 170 children's hospitals, which collectively treat 17 million children annually for every illness and injury imaginable.

I was selected to host an in-home Primrose Family Dance-off Party. So, this past weekend, when we got together with 4 other families for a pre-Valentine's Day party, we made it into a Primrose Family Dance-off party. Since the party was at my friends house, I made sure that she was good with this. She said it sounded like a great idea. She mentioned that they had recently picked up the Just Dance and Just Dance Kids for the Wii, and had hoped to play them at the party. It sounded like a great fit to me. I grabbed the CD that had come with the party kit and we "warmed up" singing and dancing to the hits (I had to smile as I listened to what were obvious clean-ups of the songs that I knew to make them family friendly). After some visiting, snacking on some wonderful fresh fruit and dip and some veggie pizza, and a little arts and crafts (included cookie decorating - not healthy, but its good to learn to enjoy sweets and treats in moderation), we put in the games and started to play. Initially, the parents were playing the kids version, trying to learn the game so we could teach the kids. Watching the parents figure out the game was cause enough for a few giggles. The kids were glad to get their chance to dance once we knew enough to show them how to follow along with the on-screen dancers. It was fun watching the kids who ranged in age from 3 to 9 try to follow along with the on-screen dance. We captured the fun on video and showed them how they looked dancing. I guess my perspective of 30s was off, because none of them are long enough clips to submit and we will have to have more fun dancing on another occasion to get a 30 second family video to submit to the Primrose Schools Family Dance-off.

I had planned to insert one of my videos here, but when I played them back, I realized how many side conversations I picked up and they were noisy!! Plus, since I was standing off to the side, the quality wasn't so great. Yet another reason that I need to capture new video so that I can enter!

No compensation was received for this post. As a Primrose Schools Family Dance-off home party host, I received a party kit that included a CD, a couple of t-shirts for the kids, a gift card for party supplies, and a FLIP Camcorder to record the fun. In addition, I was entered for a chance to win a gift card in exchange for this post.

A Date Night with Richard Marx and Matt Scannell

In an early celebration of Valentine's Day, my husband and I had a date night on Sunday night. We headed into Cleveland to the Ohio Theater at Playhouse Square and watched an acoustic performance by Richard Marx and Matt Scannell. It is part of their Duo tour. Music was part of our initial connection, so it only seems appropriate that we would celebrate love with a concert experience.

One of our friends was kind enough to pick up the tickets for us (they were supposed to have joined us, but in the end had a conflict that prevented them from joining us). We were excited that we had tickets in Row A. Row A, suggests front row, right? Well, once we got to the show, we learned that Row A is actually the third row - there were two rows of folding chairs, Rows XA and XB. Either way, they were still great seats.
The view from our seats:
The show was nice and casual. They told stories, bantered back and forth and played their music. Sitting in the near front row made the already intimate concert feel even more intimate, like we were sitting in a room with them, just catching up and playing music. Hearing Richard Marx talk about his three boys when he talked about writing Angelia back in the day of his poofy mullet, really provided an interesting perspective. Suddenly, it was Richard Marx, the man, the dad - not just Richard Marx song-writer, producer, singer, etc. I think the fact that we were sitting so close even made it feel more so that way.

It was a nice mix of Richard Marx, Vertical Horizon and Richard Marx/Matt Scannell songs. At one point, they unplugged and sat down on the front of the stage and played and sang without any amps or microphones. It was a really good show.
Unplugged sitting on the stage:

I'm always glad to get a date night out (or in) with my husband. When we have the opportunity to have such a memorable experience, it makes it even a little more special.

Menu Plan Monday

Saturday afternoon, in a race against the oven timer, I made a trip to CVS and the grocery store. I really didn't stock up on anything, other than some Dole Fruit Cups that were on sale and that I had coupons for, I mostly just gathered ingredients needed for this week's menu.

Once again, some of the free turkey products have returned to my menu planning. There is turkey in the form of bacon in the Chipotle Chicken, in the Spaghetti and Meatsauce and in the stuffed pepper casserole.

Sunday
cereal
sandwiches and leftovers
Pizza

Monday
Chicken Tacos/Chipotle Chicken

Tuesday
Spaghetti and meat sauce

Wednesday
Chicken Tenders and Fries

Thursday
Pizza

Friday
Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Saturday
cereal
sandwiches
Macaroni and Cheese

Most days, it is cereal for breakfast for everyone. As for lunch, my son will either buy or pack, based on the menu for that day. I tend to pack. My husband will do a bit of both.

This post shared at Menu Plan Monday.

CVS Scenarios - week of 2/13

The deals seem to be low in number this week, but still there are some free and some moneymaker deals. I still have a rain check from the Airwick deal and my coupons expire today, so I think I will head to the store and try to get this week's deals and the rain check deal too!

Transaction #1
1 - Colgate Sensitive

-$1 Colgate Sensitive mfg coupon

Total $2.79 OOP, earn $3.79 ECBs.

Transaction #2
1 - Colgate Sensitive
1 - Listerine

-$1 Colgate Sensitive mfg coupon
-$2 Listerine mfg coupon

Total $4.78, pay with $3.79 ECB and $.99 OOP. Earn $3.79 and $2 ECBs.

Transaction #4
3 - Honest Teas
1 - Speedstick

-$.50 Honest Tea hangtag
-$.50 Honest Tea hangtag
-$.50 Honest Tea hangtag
-$.50 Speedstick mfg coupon

Total $3.99, pay with $3.79 ECB and $.20 OOP. Earn $1 and $2 ECBs.

Total OOP of $3.98 with $5 ECBs to roll, for $17.56 in product at sale prices. A savings of about 82%.

For more deals and scenarios, check out Money Saving Mom and Deal Seeking Mom.

CVS $5 Challenge
I guess since my main transaction plan matches this challenge, I submit the above!

For more $5 Scenarios, check out the CVS $5 Challenge.

CVS Deals - 2/12

On my way to the grocery store yesterday, I made a stop at CVS. I had been planning to go all week and hadn't had a chance. I only had a few minutes, so I only picked up a couple of the deals.

3 - General Mills Cereal
2 - Hershey Dropps King Size
1 - Trident Vitality
1 - Tums

-$1 $1/2 General Mills mfg coupon
-$1 General Mills IP (not sure where I got this one at)
-$.99 BOGO Hershey Dropps King Size Mfg coupon
-$1 $1/2 Hershey Dropps CRT
-$1 Tums IP (tums.com)
-$2 Tums CRT

Paid with $10 ECB adjusted down to $9.97 and $.11 OOP (all tax). Earned $4, $.99, and $1 ECB. I decreased my ECB value by about $4, but got about $17 in product at sales prices. A savings of about 77%.

This post shared at Super Savings Saturday.

Samples and Freebies

Requested:
"I Love Pyrex" potholder
Vaseline Intensive Rescue Sample

Received:
Dentek sample
Nature Made Vitamin D sample and coupon
Crest 3D White Whitestrips and coupon
Nexxus ProMend Shampoo/Conditioner sample and coupon

The Bridge of Peace

I've always had a certain level of interest and intrigue with the Amish. I'm not sure the exact source, but I imagine it was a combination of many things. First, my love for Little House on the Prairie. I loved that show and the books. It seemed to me that life was simpler and families were closer and I was drawn to that. Then, when I was in high school, some of our friends moved to Indiana and they lived near a number of Amish communities. When we would visit, sometimes we would go into or through those communities. There just was something very interesting about the fact that given modern day inventions and conveniences, that they elected, or rather mandated, that they maintain the more simple lifestyle.

My interest didn't stop there, I actually did my term paper on the Amish, Mennonite and German Baptists as a junior in high school. I learned a lot about their lifestyle, their faith and why they didn't use many modern inventions and conveniences. One thing that I learned is that although many of those things they wouldn't use in their home, they would make an exception for their businesses and their safety. For instance, they don't have phones in their home, but they do have them in their businesses and they have community phones that can be used for emergencies. I also learned that the Amish are not all the same, there are different sects that broke off at various stages and allow more or less of modern conveniences in their life.

I recently read The Bridge of Peace, by Cindy Woodsmall. The author has a connection with the Amish, counting some members of the Old Order Amish amongst her friends. This relationship helps her write a believable story that stays true to the Amish community.

The Bridge of Peace is actually the second book in the Ada's House series. I didn't know that going in. Certainly, I felt no disadvantage in not having read the first book, but after reading this one, I am curious to go back and read the first one. The next installment is due out later this year.

The story line follows a handful of main characters, with the primary emphasis on Lena Kauffman, a young schoolteacher, who has a noticeable birthmark on her face. The other characters seem to move in and out of the story as necessary to progress Lena's story. While this was a fine way to tell Lena's story, it left me wanting to know more about some of the other characters - I didn't just want to guess what might be going on. I like how the author wove the back story into the story, providing snippets to help you understand the relationship and experiences that the characters had.

Grey, who has been a life-long friend of Lena, mostly because he was good friends with her older brother, was one of my favorite characters. He seems to be a very strong man that stands up for what he believes. As the story progresses, we learn that his relationship with his wife is troubled. We get to see the weaker side of the man and when tragedy befalls his family, we get to see his vulnerable side.

One of the other characters that I found to be interesting was Cara. She was an "Englischer", meaning that she had not been raised Amish. Having come from a troubled background, she had met and fell in love with an Amish man. During the story, she was living with some Amish women and learning about the faith. Her hope was to join the Amish community and marry Ephraim. It was through many of her experiences that the reader learned about some of the Amish ways and things that are not allowed.

The story explores the relationships amongst the many characters - as some of them fall in (and out) of love. One thing that I found unique about the book is that it isn't told from any one character's perspective, but rather is told by the narrator - this has the advantage of the narrator being able to share insights that only a narrator would know. The disadvantage is that you are left feeling like you don't really get to know one character as well as you might, were it told from their perspective.

I enjoyed the book. I once again found myself caught up in the story and when I went to bed the other night, I intended to read for 30 minutes. An hour and a half later, I noticed that it was almost midnight and I forced myself to put the book down - I still had 100 pages to go and my alarm was set for 5 am!! Compared to the thrillers I have been reading lately, this book was a nice change of pace. Like the Amish themselves, the book seemed to have a slower pace and shared the simple (or not so simple) story of love.



No compensation was received for this post. As a member of Blogging for Books, I had the opportunity to receive a free copy of this book for the purposes of sharing a review with my readers. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

MooLaLa - Daily Deal Site

There is a new Daily Deal Site that is getting started - it's called Moolala. They haven't posted a deal yet, but they are showing a coming soon over a MixBook offer - would be great, since I missed signing up for the offer under Groupon and Living Social.

What makes them different? They are using their marketing dollars to reward you! Every time that you buy a deal or someone that you referred (and their referrals, and their referrals and their referrals) purchases any deal, you get 2% of the purchase price of that deal added to your account. You can use that money to purchase deals for yourself or simply cash out.

Won't you check it out?

You can learn more and sign up for MooLaLa here.

Yoplait Yogurt Gift Pack Winner!

Congratulations to Lena! She was selected as the winner of the Yoplait Yogurt prize pack giveaway.

Thanks everyone for entering and be sure to check out the other giveaways listed on the sidebar.

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

4
Timestamp: 2011-02-10 02:23:05 UTC

Hot Wheels Super-Fan Family Giveaway!

Hot Wheels cars are something that I can remember playing with as a child. I'm not sure how many cars were mine, they probably were mostly my brothers'. I remember using our blocks to set up roadways for the cars. When we go to my parent's house, my kids will pull out that old, broken carrying case and play with many of the same Hot Wheels that my brothers and I played with as kids. I can remember getting some Hot Wheels cars for my 16th Birthday - one from my friend, one from someone else perhaps?

When my son was younger, we started to buy him Hot Wheels cars and a case to keep them in. We searched for a race track to play those cars and finally found one that we liked - it has multiple lanes and through some levers, you can switch the lanes the cars drive in as they circle the track and are propelled through, frequently leading to crashes. Those crashes of course are half the fun.

Do you have a Hot Wheels collection? You can currently add to that collection with one of four custom-designed Hot Wheels pullback racers. The cars are available from now until February 27th in specially-marked boxes of several Big G® cereals (Cinnamon Toast Crunch®, Cookie Crisp®, Lucky Charms®, Cheerios® and Reese’s Puffs®). These specially marked packages include one of the four custom-designed Hot Wheels pullback racers.

Giveaway
I have been give the opportunity to host an exclusive Big G cereal/Hot Wheels giveaway. Big G cereals developed exclusive Super-Fan Family Prize Packs full of Hot Wheels merchandise, additional racetracks, Big G cereal and all four custom-designed pullback racers.

The prize pack includes:

· 3 Hot Wheels Baseball hats

· 3 Hot Wheels T-Shirts

· 2 boxes of participating Big G cereals

· A complete set of the limited-edition Hot Wheels pullback racers

· A Stunt N’ Dunk Hot Wheels racetrack

Would you like to win?

Main Entry: Leave a comment letting me know why your family is a Hot Wheels Super-Fan Family.

Additional Entries (please leave a separate comment for each one):

Follow @ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. (you may do this once daily)

Share this giveaway with friends - on your blog or on Facebook. Leave me a comment letting me know how you shared.

Giveaway will remain open until February 21st at 6 pm and is open to residents of the USA only. One winner will be selected using a random number generator. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (be sure to leave one!) and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. General Mills is providing the Hot Wheels Super-Fan Family prize pack for this giveaway. I was provided with some of the particpating cereals.

Mamavation Monday

Well, considering that yesterday was the Super Bowl and considering that I saved up many of my weekly Points Plus values to splurge for the party, I am happy to say that I still showed a small weight loss this week! Yeah! often times, when I save up my Points Plus values for a special event at the end of the week, I see a slight uptick that takes a day or two to correct.

You know, it may sound funny, but my trip to the water park this weekend made me realize that I really should (and sort of do) have a more positive body image than I used to. For one thing, it takes a lot of comfort to walk around all day in a bathing suit. I remember when I used to be very self-conscious about that. Not that I'm there to watch other bodies, but let's be honest, there are a lot of people that where skimpier suits than they ought to and even those that can wear a bikini, well their figures aren't perfect. So, I'm sure it's a combination of having lost some weight (mostly last year, but who's counting) and the realization that I'm not much different than a lot of other women.

Speaking of the water park, it is a great workout! Trudging back and forth in knee deep and waist deep water is an excellent lower body workout. Climbing up and down the stairs to get to the slides is also good for the legs. Holding onto your child's raft in the wave pool, so that they don't flip out of it when the waves are happening is a full body workout, both the lower body when jumping with the waves and the upper body with fighting the force of the wave to keep the raft from flipping.

I'm slowly but surely rebuilding my recipes in the Weight Watchers eTools to reflect the new Points Plus Values. I still think that the Recipe Builder is one of my favorite tools. It is what allows me to continue to eat what I am feeding my family. I've had to adjust what I consider to be a serving, but I get true variety in my meals. No plain chicken breast with some sides for me!

I'm hoping that without a party on the plan this week, that it will prove to be a better and more successful week. I missed yesterday's P90X workout, but hope to get right back on track this morning - the only question is do I due Monday's workout today or skip it this week.

This post shared at Mamavation Monday. The sponsor of Mamavation Monday this week is Chef's Requested, who asks : Question: What are you doing to keep your heart healthy? For me, maintaining an active lifestyle, full of not just exercise, but active play and making healthy food choices are what I am doing to help keep my heart healthy.

No compensation was received for this post. I am a Weight Watchers Insider for the new Weight Watchers PointsPlus program and have received complimentary online access to Weight Watchers, an IPad with the Weight Watchers Kitchen Companion App downloaded, a Flip Camera and other tools to help me on my weight loss journey, using Weight Watchers. 'People following the Weight Watchers plan can expect to lose 1 - 2 pounds per week.' I’m writing this post as an entry to a blogging carnival sponsored by Chefs Request and could win some free Chef's Requested Steaks.

Tyson Big Game Party and a splashing good time

This weekend, the family made their way to Kalahari Waterpark in Sandusky, Ohio. It seemed odd to not be at home for the Super Bowl, but we got a really good rate and decided that we could always have a little party at the Waterpark. We were going with another family, who also had some neighbors going to the water park.

Evidently, we were not the only ones that decided to take advantage of the rate and watch the Super Bowl at the water park. I was a little surprised at how long the wait was to check in and then, once inside, there was no question that there were a lot of football fans in the house. The cabanas, that you can rent daily, were full of people with football paraphernalia. Mostly, I saw Terrible Towels and other Steelers' gear, which would suggest that there were likely a number of very disappointed fans at the water park last night.

After checking in, we played in the water park for the balance of the afternoon. we learned that my daughter was just a smidge too short to ride on most of the "big" slides. Even for the family tube slide, you had to be 42" and accompanied by an adult. That was okay by her. She had a great time riding the same slides over and over. Her favorite was definitely riding the raft in the wave pool. My son was able to go on everything and came close to doing that. I didn't ride with him on Sunday, but I did on Monday. Around 6 pm on Sunday, when we were all feeling a little worn out and a bit hungry, we headed back to our room to change. After everyone was ready, we gathered in our friends' room to watch the big game and enjoy a multitude of snacks and dinner.

I had been invited by Tyson to enjoy a Tyson Big Game Party, with Tyson Any'tizers, and that is exactly what we did. The Tyson Any'tizers were actually a perfect solution for enjoying a party in a hotel room that was equipped with an in-room refrigerator and a microwave. We took along some plates and bowls to warm our Any'tizers in the microwave them and serve them. In the past, I have always prepared them using the oven, but was presently surprised at how easy it was to prepare them in the microwave (and they still tasted super yummy!). With the variety of Tyson Any'tizers available, we were able to meet the tastes of everyone, from the adults to the toddlers. We had Buffalo Style Popcorn Chicken Bites, Dippin' Twists with Kickin' Honey Mustard, Homestyle Chicken Fries and Popcorn Chicken.

The kids enjoyed their dinner/snacks picnic style on a blanket that had been placed on the floor. The rest of us used the table and chairs (just two) and the beds. We ate and watched the game on the reasonably sized, flat screen TV at the hotel. It was a lot of fun and a very unique Super Bowl experience. It was a lot like a regular party though, with hot wings, popcorn chicken, chicken dippers, nachos and cheese, veggies and dip, cheese balls (the puffed snack), and more. It was a little difficult to set out the food - we lined some of it up on the dresser in front of the TV, but it worked for us. A good time was had by all.

No compensation was received for this post. We received coupons for free Tyson Any'tizers, as well as a gift card, to help us host a Tyson Big Game Party.

Cinnamon Burst Cheerios - a review and giveaway

Cheerios have always been a favorite cereal of mine. I love topping them with fresh fruit for a wonderful treat. In fact, almost every version that is available I have tried and enjoyed. Chocolate Cheerios are a current favorite of mine. So, when I was contacted about having a chance to try the new Cinnamon Burst Cheerios, how could I resist.

When the package arrived on Tuesday morning, it was a snow day for the kids and me, even before I opened the box, the kids wanted to know if they could share what we got. I thought this was an interesting request, seeing as how they had no idea what was coming. Once we opened it, they were excited to try it and to check out the Breakfast Chiller that came in the gift pack.

We had a full cupboard of open cereal, so we had to wait to finish one of them to make room for a new box of cereal. So, Saturday morning, the three of us had a bowl of Cinnamon Burst Cheerios for breakfast. My son asked for a small bowl so he could try it. He asked for a second bowl, after deciding that he liked it!

I felt like the cereal had a nice cinnamon flavor level - I have had some others that were stronger, but I felt like this was just the right level. We had ours with slices of bananas. It was yummy.

When I asked the kids what they thought, here were the responses that I got. My son says - pretty good, awesome actually. My daughter says - good.

Made with real cinnamon, new Cinnamon Burst Cheerios cereal will delight your taste buds! This newest edition to the Cheerios line-up allows you to provide your family with a delicious and nutritious breakfast that contains 20% of the Daily Value of fiber (or 5g per serving), has 9g of sugar, is low in fat, saturated fat free and naturally cholesterol free. Cinnamon Burst Cheerios cereal also provides at least 8g of whole grain per serving; at least 48g recommended daily. A true crowd pleaser, Cinnamon Burst Cheerios cereal is sure to kick-start any morning!

In addition, be sure to check out this fun Cinnamon Burst Cheerios cereal video. You can also check out the Cheerios Facebook page - they currently have a link to get a $.75 coupon for Cinnamon Cheerios.

Giveaway
Enter to win a Cinnamon Burst Cheerios cereal gift pack that includes a box of Cinnamon Burst Cheerios cereal, family 4-pack of cereal bowls, travel cereal chiller and a cinnamon scented candle.

To enter: Leave a comment sharing what they you do to start your day off with a smile.

Additional Entries (please leave a separate comment for each one):

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Tweet about this giveaway (you may do this once daily): Enter to win a Cinnamon Burst Cheerios prize pack. Hosted by @ABusyMomofTwo #myblogspark http://bit.ly/hVbWvZ.

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Giveaway will remain open until February 23rd at 6 pm. One winner will be selected using a random number generator. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (be sure to leave one!) and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. My family received a Cinnamon Burst Cheerios gift pack, including a box of the new Cinnamon Burst Cheerios, as well as information about them from Cheerios through MyBlogSpark. They are also providing one Cinnamon Burst Cheerios gift pack for a giveaway.

Menu Plan Monday

I didn't really make a trip to the grocery this weekend. We had picked up milk mid-week last week and didn't really need a whole lot. I will go on Monday to pick up the fresh fish for dinner and anything else that I think that we might need for the remainder of the week.

Once again, some of the free turkey products have returned to my menu planning. There is turkey sausage in the breakfast for dinner and turkey in the tacos. I just learned that the Super Kmart that I have been getting all of my turkey from is cutting back to a Big K. This is not good...I'm not sure where I will get my turkey going forward.

Sunday
cereal
sandwiches
Pizza and Any'tizers

Monday
Fish

Tuesday
Chicken Romano (skipped it last week)

Wednesday
Breakfast for Dinner

Thursday
Chicken Patty Sandwiches

Friday
Tacos

Saturday
cereal
sandwiches
TBD

Most days, it is cereal for breakfast for everyone. As for lunch, my son will either buy or pack, based on the menu for that day. I tend to pack. My husband will do a bit of both.

This post shared at Menu Plan Monday.

CVS Scenarios - week of 2/6

I learned on my shopping trip to CVS yesterday that my store starts the next week's deals on Saturday morning. I was interested to learn this. I would have to rely on posts to plan the visit, but it might be a good way to knock out multiple deals on fewer visits.

Transaction #1
1 - Tums
1 - Trident
2 - John Frieda Shampoo/Conditioner

-$2 Tums CRT
-$1 Tums IP
-$2 John Frieda Root Awakening mfg coupon
-$2 John Frieda Rott Awakening mfg coupon

Total $9.98 (works for me, I have a $10 ECB to use) OOP. Earn $1, $.99, and $3 ECBs.

Transaction #2
2 - Quaker Instant Oatmeal

-$1 Quaker Instant Oatmeal mfg coupon
-$1 Quaker Instant Oatmeal mfg coupon

Total $3, pay with $3 ECB. Earn $2 ECBs.

Transaction #3
3 - Cheerios

-$.75 Cheerios IP
-$.75 Cheerios IP
-$.75 Cheerios IP

Total $7.75, pay with $2, $1 and $.99 ECBs and $3.76 OOP. Earn $4 ECBs.

For the visit, the total OOP would be $13.74, with $4 ECBs to roll, for $32 in product at sales prices. A savings of 62%.

I didn't pick up the vitamins that were on deal last week, so since CVS are on sale BOGO and I have a $3/$10 CVS vitamin CRT. I will have to see what varieties I need.

For more deals and scenarios, check out Money Saving Mom and Deal Seeking Mom.

CVS $5 Challenge
Transaction #1
1 - Trident Vitality

Total $.99 OOP, earn $.99 ECBs.

Transaction #2
1 - Tums

-$2 Tums CRT
-$1 Tums IP

Total $.99 OOP, pay with $.99 ECB. Earn $1 ECB.

Transaction #3
2 - Quaker Instant Oatmeal

-$1 Quaker Instant Oatmeal mfg coupon
-$1 Quaker Instant Oatmeal mfg coupon

Total $3, pay with $1 ECB and $2 OOP. Earn $2 ECBs.

Total OOP $2.99, with $2 ECBs to roll, for $10 in product at sales prices. A savings of about 75%.

For more $5 Scenarios, check out the CVS $5 Challenge.