Cars 2, Oral-B, and Crest Pro Health for Me, umm... them

I was so excited to be picked by MomSelect to host a MommyParties Crest and Oral-B Pro Health for me Party featuring many awesome Crest and Oral-B Stages products and the new Disney movie Cars 2.

Teeth brushing and oral hygiene has always been a challenge in my house.  But it's something I am relentless about.  My girls have always loved the Oral-B Stages toothbrushes and toothpaste, especially the Disney Princess designs.  But, they are getting older and I was finding that plain toothbrushes weren't cutting it for my oldest who is now 11.  So, I was extremely happy when Oral-B introduced their Pro Health for Me line.  They are more grown up than Cinderella, but they still have more pizzazz than a plain toothbrush.  The brushes, paste, flossers and rinse have been a huge hit in my house.

We shared our bounty, courtesy of MomSelect, MommyParties, Crest and Oral B, with four of our favorite families.  With a zillion kids between us ranging in age from two to twelve, we had something for everyone.  Including coupons and information.  Moms crave coupons and information.

We were able to host a viewing party for Cars 2 complete with popcorn, pop (for some) and lots and lots of goodies.  Their was even a learning activity where the kids could vote for which items made a mouth yucky versus healthy.  And balloons! We had balloons.  My dogs LOVED the balloons.

  

Organizing the goody bags is always a fun for me.  I can't explain it, but putting a few of each item in every bag it something I truly enjoy, and for this party things were no different.  Look at what I had to share with my peeps!

 

Of course the movie Cars 2 was a huge hit.  My girls are big fans of Mater.  Take a look at his teeth! 

With all of the information I had to read and distribute courtesy of Crest and Oral-B, I learned a lot.  Such as...

Oral B Stages, dentists' #1 recommended toothbrush brand for children, not only has kid appeal but is specially designed to address children's dentition, dexterity and development as they grow.  Oral-B also offers kid-friendly Stages toothpaste to complement their brushing routine. 

In a 2001 practice-based study involving 22 pediatric dental offices in the U.S., Europe and Australia, and nearly 800 children, revealed:

• 69% of parents reported that, compared to other brushes used, their child was motivated to brush longer with the Stages brush.
• 91% of dental professionals surveyed felt that the Stages brushes address the specific dentition and dexterity needs of children.

I can vouch for the longer brushing.  My girls have ALWAYS brushed better with these toothbrushes.  That's probably why my dentist gives this brand and style out at our twice-a-year visits.

Crest and Oral-B Pro-Health FOR ME is the first and only complete line of oral care products for tweens (kids 8+) created to protect all the areas dentists check in kids including fighting cavities, strengthening teeth enamel and freshening their breath. And it has cool and unique packaging that tweens love.  At least mine does.

Some fun Tips and Trivia for Healthier Teeth

• Children should start flossing as soon as two teeth touch each other.
• Brushing alone can miss up to 30% of the tooth surface.  A plastic handled flosser can make it easier for kids to floss.
• How much is the Tooth Fairy paying these days per tooth?  About $2 according to Securian Dental Plans, an insurance provider.  (Note to self...)
• Kids with braces should use a two step system- brushing from the top down, and then the bottom up.  This will help dislodge any breakfast that may be stuck in the brackets.
• After a professional dental cleaning it only takes a few hours for plaque to re-form on your teeth, so make sure you brush, floss and rinse every day between visits.
• Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different. (How great is this little NCIS-worthy fact?)

We had a great time, learned a lot, and have many great products to help our kids keep up some great oral hygiene habits.  Thanks to Crest and Oral-B for helping us with another Mommy Challenge.

Don't forget to visit Oralb.com/Stages and CrestProHealth.com for more valuable information.  You can also follow @OralB and @Crest on Twitter and become friends of Oral-B and Crest on Facebook.

Disclosure: I was supplied with all of the products shown by MommyParties in order to host this event. All opinions, photos and comments expressed are my own. 

How I Spent My Summer (Vacation)

I did some pretty fun stuff this summer.  Because I did so much, and because my Fall is always complete chaos I am just now finding the time to write about it all. 

Back in May I attended my first ever blogging conference- Gleek Retreat which is right here in Michigan.  It was held in Holland and I got to connect with some new bloggy friends and reconnect with some old ones and a great friend from my highschool (and younger) days.

I felt like I learned a great deal and I hope to attend next year too!

From April until September I freelanced at an ad agency and my blogging got skimpy but I still had a chance to participate in the Shout Out to Eat Out promotion with Chili's! Hubby and I got to try out the Chili's Triple Dipper appetizer and then I got to share one with you!  What a yummy date night that was!

Date nights are great but I also had fun celebrating Father's Day at Wendy's with Cory and the girls (plus one) with free Frostys.  Another great opportunity for a blogger.  A blogger who will never have other opportunities if she doesn't blog more often ;)

Cory and Jayden enjoy a Frosty and French Fries.  The perfect combination of sweet and salty.

 

It was the perfect treat after a hot day in and out of the pool.  Jayden, Ryann and Ryann's friend Lauren (in the middle) completely agree!

So, as you can see I've had some fun.  As of early September the freelance job at the ad agency came to an end.  I still bill an hour here and there, and am slowly picking up more "jobs" in addition to the unpaid work I do for soccer, girl scouts, church, school, etc.  But hey, I'm happy.  And that's all that really matters.  Right?

Raising Girls with Discovery Girls **giveaway**

I have two daughters.  That's really no secret here.  They are almost 11 and 7.5 and every day is a challenge to make sure they grow up happy, healthy, wise, respectful, with a realistic view of the world without hiding from them until they are grown or totally freaking them out.  It's.  A challenge.

That's one of the reasons I have come to love Discovery Girls magazine.  I feel that like content is realistic, enjoyable, and appropriate for them to sit and read.  I also think that the magazine and their new Fab Girls Guides help put girls at ease about things they might not feel like talking about all day long.

 My youngest daughter is on the tween horizon.  She peruses the magazine but not with the intensity that my 10.9999 year-old does.  My oldest is in middle school.  I feel we have a great relationship, but I know sometimes it's easier to read about why your friends are catty and rude than it is to rehash the day with your Mom.  That's where these materials really have value for me.

Both girls loved the 10th Anniversary Collector's Edition and read it together on a long car ride up north.  Even sisters are allowed to enjoy quizzes and reading about other girls' embarrassing moments together, and that made Mom very happy.

I have an opportunity to share these great items with you and I am excited to do so!  Today's giveaway includes:

• 1 complimentary year subscription to the magazine (a $20 value!)
• 1 set of our Fab Girls book set ($40)
• 1 10-Year Anniversary Collector's Edition, which will encompass 10 years of the best content from our magazine! ($10)!

To enter you must "like" My Life of What Ifs on Facebook.  Then leave me a comment below stating that you do in fact, "like" me and who you would share these lovely prizes with.  Daughter?  Granddaughter?  Sister?  Niece?

You can earn another entry by "liking" Discovery Girls magazine on Facebook too, and leaving a separate comment telling me you did so.  Make sure any and all entries contain your email or a way to contact you.

So, like away.  Leave a comment or two and good luck raising your daughters, no matter how old they are or how many you have.  Luck is always needed, and appreciated.

Disclosure: This review was made possible by Mom Spark Media, all thoughts are my own. Contest ends Friday, September 16 at 11:59 pm ET.  Winner will be chosen at random through Random.org.

My Happy Place

I am currently three days in to our annual vacation at Drummond Island off the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. All of the stress I’ve been feeling lately, the main reason for my lack of blog posts, was left in the Lower Peninsula, where it belongs.

Right now I am sitting under a tree at the yacht haven with my family and several friends who are like family. The kids are swimming, the ladies are reading and chatting, the dogs are sitting in the shade and a few of the guys are fishing. The breeze is balmy and it just doesn’t get any better.

After 2 weeks taking the Member’s Mark Probiotic daily I can also notice a discernable difference in how my stress affects my gastrointestinal system. There seems to be regularity about me, LOL. Where normally all hell could break loose the minute my workload becomes overwhelming, things in that area have stayed relaxed and normal.

Of course in the past I have made it through stressful times and then as soon as things calm down my body or stomach rather, retaliates. But I’ve been on vacation since Friday afternoon and so far so good.

My family looks forward to this vacation every year. So much so, that even the mention of not going can send my girls into a tizzy. But really why would we not come? Two-tracking through the woods, swimming off of fossil ledges, drinking “punch” from a garbage can, sitting under the stars in front of a warm fire, dogs playing, kids laughing, and it all takes place this one week of the year.

Shout out to eat out and get a Chili's Triple Dipper!!

One of the things that has happened quite frequently since I've gone back to work full time is that we eat out.  A lot.

The last six weeks of school or so, at least in our house, are insane.  Soccer practices, soccer games, field trips, band concerts, field day, girls scout parties, and so on, and so on.  It doesn't leave much time to plan a meal or to actually cook one.  So we often find ourselves out at the same restaurant, ordering the same things.

But last Saturday we were surprised to have our oldest gone until about 9 p.m. and our youngest gone for the night, so we went to Chili's and found out that good things do come in three's so we ordered the new Triple Dipper appetizer.

My three favorite things to have on one plate are steak, mashed potatoes and something gooey and chocolate, but since I was sharing with my husband we picked boneless buffalo bites, potato skins, and southwestern egg rolls.  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  Look at that!  It's a meal, in and of itself!  Oh and we had a dip for each, talk about Yum!

In addition to the Triple Dipper I also had a Top Shelf Raspberry Margarita and the Fajita Trio.  Needless to say I rolled myself home.

I would love for you to have an opportunity to roll yourself home too, so I am offering up a $20 Chili's gift card so you can Shout Out to Eat Out and see that Good Things Do Come in Three's and then enjoy a Chili's Triple Dipper of your own.



All you have to do to win the $20 Chili's gift card is fill in the name of my blog- My Life of What Ifs in the google doc field below, click submit, and then leave me a comment stating that you did so!

You can earn extra entries by doing any of the following, just be sure to leave a comment for EACH entry.

• Tell me your 3 favorite foods you would like to have all on 1 plate.
• "Like" Chili's on Facebook 
• Follow @Chilis & @Shoutout2eatout on Twitter
• Create your terrific trio located on http://www.shoutouttoeatout.com/ and comment with the URL link
• Opt-In to Chili's email club here http://bit.ly/m6HYef (You'll receive a free appetizer certificate too!)
• Tweet this "At @Chilis Good Things Come In 3's! Check out @2Wired2Tired http://bit.l/linkyrave for 200 chances to win in the #tripledipper linky rave!”
• Write a post on your blog about your 3 favorite foods you would like to have all on 1 plate and mention the Shoutout2eatout.com promotion. Then comment with the URL link.

Good Luck, enjoy and don't forget to fill in the name of my blog below! 

Contest ends Sunday, June 12 at 11:59:00 p.m ET.  Winner will be chosen via random.org and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

I was given a $20 virtual Chili's gift card to try the new Triple Dipper and a $20 gift card to give away.  All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

Food, food, glorious food

We have been in a food rut in this house.  Same ole' same ole'.

We've been trying to stir things up a bit.  We had Greek turkey burgers last week, and hot turkey sandwiches tonight, and not too long ago we had Asian Slaw with Teriyaki Chicken.

You can read our review of that delicious dish at www.giveeverynightnewflavor.com.  Our review, and others, plus reviews of other great recipes like a beef taco skillet, hero joe, and chilled spaghetti salad are all there for your enjoyment and inspiration.

Give Every Night New Flavor is hosted by the Kroger family of stores and you can go there by clicking on the widget in the left sidebar.  (The widget is best viewed with FireFox or Chrome.) Once you click and arrive at the site you can pick from a few different criteria and get recipe suggestions for your week night meals.  There are many great ideas on there and it even allows you to input how much time you have to whip it up.

So if you are at a loss so many nights like I am, click on the widget and see what pops up, and enjoy something new for dinner tonight.

Disclosure: This post has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions stated are mine and mine alone.

Black Heels to Tractor Wheels: Lovely and full of sap

I like the Pioneer Woman, I always have.  Her blog is fraught with beautiful pictures, awesome recipes, and tales of a life that requires hard work and yet is simple.

I have her cookbook.  I have made her chicken spaghetti, her dump cake, and most recently her Cowboy Calzones (see Whrrl below).  And I started reading her love story with Marlboro Man when it was a weekly post on her blog.  

Even though I ate it up, every love soaked romantic morsel, I have to believe that a lot of it was edited for our Fabio-loving, Harlequin-romance-reading enjoyment.  I mean seriously, these people have to fight once in a while.  Everyone tiffs for God's sake!!!

So when I heard that her story was now a full fledged book- The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels- A Love Story- I had to buy it!  For the love of Fabio (yeech!) and sweaty men in Wranglers, I had to have it! I ordered it from Walmart.com and had it shipped to the store.  I picked it up a week ago today and I read it every moment I had the chance.

In fact I couldn't stop reading it, as referenced here.  I loved the story, and I loved hearing more details than her blog allowed for from the beginning of their love affair.  But I realized why I was devouring this book.  I was trying to find- a fight!

In this novel... memoir... work of fiction... ummmm... biography? there is one fight.  ONE!  OK, not everyone fights but please.  This was a huge change of life for her, gimme the drama!  I want the shouting, the walking away, the grabbing of arms, the "don't walk away from me!", the look, the make up, not just the making out.

I know I am making it sound like I didn't like this book, and that isn't really the case.  I guess I was just looking for... well, more.  More dirt, more details, more hurdles hurdled and more crosses bared.  Maybe PW and MM had all that and she chose not to share.  I guess I can respect that.

I do like the Pioneer Woman, and I will still read her blog and make lame attempts at her recipes.  I admire her and how in a world of ranching, Wrangler-clad men Ree Drummond found something of her own.  She found creativity and a career that let her be with her children and in the sticks with her man.  She took herself a big ole' "What If" and I love that.  But, in  my own head, I still have to believe that once in awhile, maybe every 28 days, she stomps off in a huff and drives 60 miles alone to Starbucks with show tunes playing all the way.

 More check-ins at Walmart Supercenter #4584

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I was compensated by Collective Bias for this post and my review.  All opinions are mine and were not influenced at any time by anyone.

Can't. Stop. Reading.

Another Superbowl comes and goes... yum.

Every year Cory hosts a Superbowl-Poker Party.  In many ways it's my favorite gathering, because it's his and I can laze around on my laptop while he hangs with his guys. Of course my Mom is always here, and some years a girlfriend or two, but it's nice because they are always the folks who know me best and won't be offended if I just sit with my laptop and only talk to them by way of Facebook.

Every year the menu is different and this year Cory wanted to have a Taco bar since we have SEVERAL pounds of ground beef in our freezer.  But I also like to have kid friendly things on hand too, so the girls and I went shopping.  Which, by the way, reminds me.  I am reasonably sure that I will never be allowed in a store during non-school hours without my daughters ever again.  Not because of any weird mid-western law but because the little princesses won't let me.  They love Target, Starbucks and Walmart, and the only way I can run to these places on my own is to go when they are at school, or asleep, but I'm too old to be out that late.

 

Any who, they liked the idea of pizza, and they helped me pick out a DiGiorno Rising Crust Pizza in the kid friendly Pepperoni variety.  We also grabbed a DiGiorno Buffalo Style Chicken Pizza for Big Papa, because he likes it hot.

At our gatherings the counter is always filled with food, and a five-man Poker game still warrants a full counter.  So the five men, 2 women, and 4 kids that were in our house during the Super Bowl ate all this.

That's the Buffalo Style Chicken Pizza in the front, and yes it was awesome.  The kid-friendly pepperoni is below and it was fantastic too.  Just all around great pizza, and an all around great time.  My family won 2 quarters of football squares, the commercials were great, especially the Chrysler 200 - Eminem spot and I got to be lazy.  I like being lazy.

Disclosure:  I was compensated by Collective Bias for this shop and blog post.  All opinions are mine and mine alone.

Where would I be without my girlfriends?

As you get older you really find out who your true friends are, and, you find out who you truly want to be your friends.

I have many great friends from all parts of my life.  I am so blessed to have each and every one of them and we stay in touch the best we can.  Even if it's been awhile since we last spoke, we are able to pick right up where we left off.  No awkwardness, no lulls in conversation.  It's the best.

The friends that I have made more recently in my life are primarily parents of the girls' friends.  Which is great because with kids, work, houses, etc. how else are we supposed to meet anyone?  Especially genuine people who don't care that we look the way we do ;)

Through the beauty of the bus stop I have made some fantastic neighborhood friends.  I say neighborhood friends because they live in the neighborhood, but we are truly friends.  We laugh together, we vent together, we watch each others kids, and we enjoy adult beverages together.  Sometimes we do all of that at the same time!

Every other week or so the neighborhood ladies, and a few others, get together for coffee.  The last meet up I had to miss because my daughter had strep throat and no one wanted our Swann House Cooties.  So after a long weekend I invited some over this morning for cocoa, coffee and conversation.  We had a great time and I didn't realize until they left how much I needed that conversation. 

These ladies don't judge me.  They don't care that I show up at the bus stop in my pink-heart jammie pants.  They don't care that sometimes I don't make my way to the bus stop at all, but they do check in to make sure I'm OK if I'm not there ;)  They are just true, genuine friends that I am so blessed to have found at this point in my life.

This morning they tried Cold Stone Creamery Hot Cocoa with me.  We loved it.  It's very rich and creamy, with great flavor and yes, it's great in coffee.  I mean REALLY great.  It's also great with marshmallows- especially the snowmen ones :)  I think you should try it, and if you look below you can see a whrrl of me and two of my favorite people trying it.  I love cocoa.  I love my girlfriends.  I would be lost without both :)

More check-ins at House of Swann

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Disclosure:  I was compensated by Collective Bias for my Cold Stone Cocoa Girlfriend Gathering.  All opinions are mine and mine alone.

Parenthood is stressful

I am a bad mother.

I started off this journey as a REALLY bad mother.  Now, I am just bad.  Singular.  Most days.

When Ryann was four months old we took her to San Diego for my brother's Navy BUDs graduation.  We were first time parents, and she was pretty much just a lump we carried from place to place that other people wanted to hold.

The morning of our last day as we packed to go home, Ryann threw up.  Then she squirted out.  Then she threw up and squirted out at the same time.  Clearly the child was ill.  Or possessed, as a new Mom I wasn't so sure.  And frankly, all I could think about was that we were in San Diego and we had to fly to Detroit.  With her, and all her... projecting.

On our way to the airport, and after we "borrowed" a number of towels from the hotel (most of which I still have and yes, I think of that day every time I wash) we had to stop for some Pedialyte.  'Cause that's what good mothers give their sick, squirting babies.  Cory stopped the car, I went in and came out with the goods and off we went.

Now I should tell you- all of this happened in January of 2001.  Months before planes were flown into buildings and I felt like an even badder mother for bringing a child into this world.  I share this time stamp with you because after we checked our luggage and approached the check in counter with our stroller and very pale infant I realized something.  I could not find my drivers license.  MY BABY IS SICK AND I HAVE NO I.D.!!!!  They aren't going to let me fly home with her!!!!  Hmmm, wait a minute.... NO!  I never thought of that!!!  At least not for long.

Anywho... I approached the counter sobbing.  "I am a new Mom and my baby is sick and we just wanna go hooooomeee!"  People were staring.  "I lost my drivers license when I stopped to buy Pedialyyyyyttttteeeeee!"

Yes, this much I had discovered.  Rewind to the parking lot of the store... Cory drops me off, I go in, Cory moves to a new location in the parking lot, and I get back in.  If Cory had not moved the car, I probably would have seen the best drivers license picture I have ever taken lying on the ground.  But no, I had no idea and off I went.

Again, in present time I would have never gotten on that plane without my I.D.  But in the pre-terrorist era, the counter lady took pity on me and my dear sweet child, and my husband who was clearly in the doghouse, and let us fly home.  With our baby.  With the Pedialyte.

So you can see, I am a normal bad Mom.  But I knew what I had to have for my sick baby, and I went and got it.  Had I been home I would have still had to run to the store, because we could never keep Pedialyte on hand to hydrate our dehydrated children because it expired before you could use it. 

Not anymore!  Now you can buy Pedialyte Singles in a 4 pack of juice box size drinks.  Great for kids, great for bad Moms, and they have an 18 month shelf life.  Rock on.

Visit the Pedialyte website for many valuable resources and to help you find new Pedialyte Singles at a store near you.

Disclosure:  I was compensated by Collective Bias for my time and this post.  All opinions and view are my own.

Things I've been given to try... for FREEEEEE!!!!

It's pretty exciting these days waiting for the mail to arrive.  About three days a week I have something waiting for me that's fun, sometimes unexpected too.

There are a couple of groups I've signed up for in my internet travels.  One is Pssst! which partners with General Mills and many of their other brands.

Not too long ago a box showed up on my front porch and lo and behold, what was inside but a box of Chocolate Cheerios and several coupons to save $1.25!

Chocolate Cheerios is low in fat, heart healthy (diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease. Chocolate Cheerios cereal is low in fat, saturated fat free and naturally cholesterol free), has 100 calories per serving, contains at least 8 grams of whole grain per serving (at least 48 grams recommended daily), and is a good source of calcium and vitamin D. Made with real cocoa, Chocolate Cheerios can help your family start the day off right with a delicious and nutritious breakfast that is sure to make you smile!

You can find Chocolate Cheerios with a touch of delicious chocolate taste in every bite in the cereal aisle next to other great-tasting Cheerios varieties.

I really like Chocolate Cheerios and so did my girls.  I have always been a fan of Cocoa Puffs but find that Chocolate Cheerios don't leave the after taste.  They were also very filling.  I will be using those coupons and trying them again.

And to go with my chocolate...

I'm also a BzzAgent...

 

and I was recently chosen to particpate in the Starbucks Pike Place Roast BzzzCampaign.

Starbucks Pike Place Roast is made with a unique blend of arabica beans, which give it lighter body and smoother finish.  I've always been more of a phoo-phoo coffee drinker.  Espresso with chocolate, loads of flavored creamer, etc.  But, with one of my Christmas gift cards I bought my first coffee maker and since receiving this 12 oz. package I have been thoroughly enjoying Starbucks Pike Place Roast.  It is smooth and doesn't require an entire 32 oz. container of Vanilla Caramel creamer to get me to drink it down.

As a BzzAgent I also received a 5 oz. bag of Caffe Verona, but I haven't cracked that one open yet.  But I will.

Most of my friends, family and regular readers know that I am a Starbucks snob.  I can sniff one out, and now I can drink it at home and I really enjoy the taste of Starbucks Pike Place Roast.

So see, blogging has its perks.  Stuff you can try for freeeee!  Well, it works for me.

Disclosure:  I received a complimentary box of Chocolate Cheerios and coupons to share from General Mills, I offer this review on my own terms.  As a BzzAgent I was asked to join the Starbucks Pikes Place Roast campaign and received two packages of coffee to try and coupons to share in exchange for my review.  All of the thoughts and opinions in this post are mine and mine alone.  I was not influenced at anytime by anyone.

Welcome Home Mo!

I am so excited.  My dear friend Maureen is moving home from Amsterdam this week.  I have not seen her in person in almost six years!

Mo and I worked together at the first advertising agency I was employed by after college.  In fact she was hired to be a talent peep with me when I was on maternity leave for my first born.  So I come back to work with a new person in the cube next door and I liked her, I really, really, liked her!

I liked her so much that when I accepted a new job about a month later, I brought her with me as soon as there was an opening.  So, I think you get the picture.

Right before I had my youngest drama queen, Mo left me.  Yep, she up and moved to Minneapolis, which is where I last saw her.  And being the jet setter that she is, three years later she moved to Amsterdam!!!!  Her illustrious career has left me in the dust, but that's ok.  She younger, probably wiser, and has now seen the  WORLD.

This week Maureen is returning Stateside to start a new job in Portland.  Talk about one side of the world to the other!  She is stopping off in Detroit so that we can hang out and I can pretend I am young and can hang on a Thursday night :)

I chatted with her earlier this week after the movers had come and cleaned out her apartment.  This is no ordinary endeavor.  This isn't hiring New York movers to move you four blocks north and three blocks east.  This is, "OK pack up my worldly possessions in your truck, load them on a boat (or do they use planes now?) and maybe, hopefully, I'll see them again in a month. Or so."

With a corporate move you generally have the backing of your company so you are fairly safe with who you choose, and not too worried about what is cost.  But if you're moving to escape the economy chances are you are footing the bill.  At least during this recession you have the internet to see what other peeps have to say about Two Guys and their Truck.

When we moved 55 miles in late 2001 we employed all of our friends and family to help us.  We had just survived Christmas and closed on a new house, there was no money for movers.  Now, all these years later, like everything else on the internet you can go to CityMove and see which movers suck and which ones will wrap your Faberge Egg with the most care.  You can also post your own move and let movers bid on the job!  I will readily admit that I check the internet before I do just about anything anymore.  You just. Never. Know.

Anyway, let's all wish Mo a safe trip back to America, and let's all say a silent prayer that her Fabrege Egg arrives in one piece.  Then let's all agree to make a road trip to Portland to see her bad-ass-self.  Personally I will also selfishly wish that her next move is back to Detroit, or at least Chicago, so that I can see her more often.  I know a cool place she can find some movers.

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine.

This week on The View!

Coming up this week on...

Tuesday, March 9 – Andy Garcia and his daughter Dominik Garcia-Lorido (“City Island”); Elissa Stein and Susan Kim (author, Flow: The Cultural Story of Menstruation).

Wednesday, March 10 – Forest Whitaker (“Our Family Wedding”); Jesse Ventura (author, American Conspiracies).

Thursday, March 11 – Sir Elton John will be sitting with the women at the table and partaking in “Hot Topics”; plus Eric McCormack (“Who Is Clark Rockefeller?”).

Friday, March 12 – Co- Host Kate Gosselin is back and will join the women and the return of “The View: Fashion Friday” with designer Carolina Herrera.

I missed Monday's Oscar recap, but honestly I missed most of the Oscars for the first time in about 25 YEARS!!!!!  Let's not even talk about how many of the films I have not seen.

I hope not to miss Susan Kim or Sir Elton, but if Friday at 11 a.m. comes along and I have to clean a toilet then I will just have to clean a toilet.  I'm not sure I can handle an hour of Kate Gosselin.  Sorry to those who love her ;)

I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other The View branded items to facilitate my review.

When it rains it pours

The last few months in our house have been a challenge.  Some would be depressed by the laundry list of things that have broken or gone amuck, but I choose to see it as a comedy of errors and try to chuckle at our obvious misfortune, because really, what else can you do?

In the last six months or so we have had our dryer stop heating, the wall in our tiled shower cave in, the microwave stop working, the garbage disposal die, the basement carpet drenched by a sump pump mishap, (yes, another one), the bearings and front brakes go out on the truck, and a pipe rust-out in our well, and that problem led to a whole series of water problems.

My husband's facebook status often showed his dispair and the straw that broke the camel's back came in the form of, well we thought anyway, our refrigerator loosing its ability to keep things cold, or frozen.

The beauty in all of this was the lack of extra money we have in our account right now.  Yes, you heard me correctly, and yes that was an echo you heard reverberating out of our account.  Because if we had the kind of money we used to have, or the unlimited credit we used to have we would have just went out and bought new appliances, or paid someone to rush right out and fix whatever problem we had occur.

But because our money situation has changed so much we have no choice but to compare shopping prices on new purchases, research the mechanical problems, and enlist the help of family and friends who don't mind digging a five foot hole in our front yard on New Years Day, because really who needs water anyway?

By looking for the best shopping deals and taking our time we were able to fix things ourselves (ok Cory fixed them) and let me tell you- a $15 used thermostat is much better than $300 - $400 for a whole new dryer.

So in the end, our new habits saved us a ton of money.  Oh, that refrigerator that supposedly wasn't running anymore?  Well, let's see... when you take the inside of the freezer door off to clear the line for your water dispenser and to make your ice cube maker produce ice that is less sandy (both caused by the sediment that rushes up into your plumbing when you have a pipe burst), you should probably realize that having the door open all that time may set off your defrost cycle.  But fear not!  As soon as you remove all your freezer items and put them elsewhere, your appliance will turn back on, which is what I told my darling hubby would happen, but how would I know that?

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine.

D'oh!

Read this.  Then smack your forehead in frustration that you didn't think of it first.  That's what I did.

"Don't we have any good cereal?"

If you could only hear the whining sound that comes from the mouths of my daughters when they're unhappy.  If you have children of your own I'm sure you don't want to hear my kids, because you've probably had enough of the whine and cheese that comes from your own offspring.

One of the things my girls often complain about it that there is no "good" cereal in our house.  Plain old Cheerios or Chex just doesn't make for good tastin' morning vittles in the eyes of my two little princesses.

Ok, I should probably admit I prefer breakfast cereal with a little built in sugar too, and if chocolate is the sugar source then all the better.  So I was pretty happy when General Mills announced their committment to further reduce sugar in cereals advertised to kids under 12 to single digit grams of sugar.  And as they continue to reduce sugar in cereals they are also increasing key nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D, and providing more whole grains.  So I can buy Cinnamon Toast Crunch and feel a tad less guilty by knowing that the sugar content could be... worse.

Honestly, I know that my kids fair better when they have breakfast.  They have more energy just walking to the bus stop, so if Trix and Lucky Charms do the trick, then I am happy, and if those cereals have less sugar then that is a bonus.

General Mills has a whole webpage dedicated to the benefits of cereal, so you don't need me to go into any more detail.  Just know that there is nothing wrong with a bowl of Cocoa Puffs to get you through your morning, or my case a bedtime snack.  And God Bless the person who turned Reese's peanut butter cups into puff form and called it cereal.

General Mills provided me with free product through MyBlogSpark.com.  My opinions of their products and the benefits of breakfast are mine and mine alone.

The Great American Taste Test ~ Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuits

About a month ago I stumbled upon an opportunity that was too good to pass up. If I agreed to participate in an event called The Great American Taste Test I would receive a complimentary copy of Ron Douglas's new book America's Most Wanted Recipes: Delicious Recipes from Your Family's Favorite Restaurants.

You're probably saying, "Yeah, so?" But what you may not realize is that America's Most Wanted Recipescontains over 200 recipes from 57 of America's most popular restaurants including The Cheesecake Factory, KFC, Olive Garden, P.F. Chang's, Outback Steakhouse and Red Lobster. Yes, Red Lobster. Cheddar biscuits anyone? Yeah, I thought so.

While I hated to be predictable, we chose to taste test Douglas's copycat recipe for Red Lobster's cheddar biscuits. The Red Lobster closest to our house is about 25 miles away, and aside from the "teeny weeny shrimpies" you can get on your salad, the cheddar biscuits are our favorite, and if we could make them at home, well that would be bliss.

I was able to grab some Sunday while out covering a story for the newspaper, and when I got home my husband was in kitchen heaven. I may fancy myself a writer but he's the best cook in our house, and we all know it. He spent A LOT of time devouring this cookbook to decide which recipes we would try first, and while we knew we would taste test the biscuits, we also knew we would round out our meal with more from the book.

The recipe for cheddar biscuits is obscenely simple. Cory is a fan of baking mix, but much to his chagrin can never get the flavor to spread throughout the batch. Truth be told, that while he is a fantastic cook, his biscuits are usually a little ummm, hard, and not really of the melt-in-your-mouth variety. But by adding a little shredded cheese, milk and butter, wow! And I do mean wow!!! Even our picky five-year-old declared them wonderful and the only difference between the two versions was that the originals were a little more "melty" but the flavor was ALL there.

In addition to the Red Lobster biscuits we also made (but without the "real" versions on hand) Boston Market's meat loaf and Applebee's bacon-green onion mashed potatoes, both items we have enjoyed in the past at their respective restaurants.

The meat loaf was acceptable, and truth-be-told I am picky about my meat loaf, so I am not easy to please, but the bacon-green onion mashed potatoes were simply divine. I highly recommend them, and again very easy to make. Just ask my husband.

Unfortunately in our haste to get our eatin' on, I didn't take the time to really evaluate my pictures before consuming our, ummm, my husband's hard work. Therefore I didn't know they were all blurry. (Maybe I was shaking with anticipation?) But here is a glance of Cory's work. Again, those biscuits, tell me your mouth is not watering.

We have big plans for America's Most Wanted Recipes. Many recipes are marked to try in the very near future, including KFC's original recipe chicken, Hard Rock Cafe's pulled pork and Cracker Barrel's cherry-chocolate cobbler, to name a few. I promise to report on all of them, unless my fingers become too large to hit one key at a time, or I never wake from the food coma. But at least I'll have a smile on my face. Bon Appetit!!!