Mother’s Day Gift Guide from Food Network

1. Rachael Ray Exclusive Pantry Essentials Gift Basket $49.95

You won’t find this greatest-hits sampler of Rachael Ray food products anywhere else- it’s a Food Network Store exclusive! Featuring Rachael’s classic EVOO as well as her balsamic vinegar, balsamic drizzle, chicken stock, beef stock, as well as whole-wheat pasta from Colavita, it’s everything mom needs to make her own delish “30 minute meals”.

2. Barefoot Contessa All Chocolate Basket $99.95

If mom wishes she could be invited to Ina’s house for dessert, get her the next best thing. It’s the ultimate in chocolate delight from the Barefoot Contessa, and it features four of her decadent dessert mixes, plus hot chocolate mix and fudge sauce, all packed in a beautifully elegant basket.

3. Ace of Cakes Seasons 1 and 2 DVD Set $54.95

Mom can relive some of her favorite episodes of the hit primetime show, which features cake mastermind Duff Goldman and his crew whipping up mind-boggling dessert creations that blur the boundaries between art and dessert. With Season 2 finally available on DVD, this 6-disc set is a great gift for any Ace fan.

4. Neely’s BBQ Barbeque Sauce and Seasoning Set $16.95

If you can’t make it to Memphis for Mother’s Day, this set of barbeque sauce and seasoning from Pat and Gina Neely’s famous restaurant will make any kitchen feel like a down-home BBQ pit. Crafted according to recipes that have been handed down for generations, the sauce and seasoning will make any meal a special family affair.

5. Mario Batali Lunch/Crew tote in Pesto $39.95

Trust Mario Batali to come up with a stylish solution to eating on the go. This flight-style bag is the answer to mom’s packing problems! The roomy top compartment holds carry-on items, while an insulated bottom compartment is perfect for packing an in-flight meal. It’s also great as a gym bag or work bag.

6. Nigella Lawson 4-pc. Blue Measuring Cup Set $19.96

Who says functional can’t also be fashionable? These lovely measuring cups from Nigella Lawson are pretty enough for mom to keep out of her cupboard, and their cheery blue color brings a bit of brightness to a mundane cooking task.

7. Paula Deen Nonstick Signature Porcelain 12-pc. Cookware Set in Red $119.95

If mom is a Paula Deen fan, then she’s sure to love this cookware set from the first lady of Southern cooking. Nonstick interiors make for easy cleanup, while the cheery red- speckled exteriors make this cookware attractive enough to leave on the stovetop. The pieces also feature glass lids with copper-accented knobs that add a stroke of sophistication to your kitchen.

8. Bobby Flay Burgers, Fries & Shakes book

Bobby’s back with a brand-new book, and this time he’s taking on America’s beloved trio of hamburgers, French fries and milkshakes. Mom will be amazed at his wildly inventive flavor ideas that breathe new life into a classic combination.

9. Emerilware by T-fal Bread Maker in White $149.95

There’s nothing like the smell of fresh bread wafting from the kitchen, but let’s face it, it can be hard to fit it into mom’s busy schedule. Emeril’s clever machine does all the work, can even make baguettes and a variety of different sized loaves. All that mom needs to do is sit back and enjoy her creations.

Bausch & Lomb Makeover and year of contacts

clip_image002By visiting www.GoodbyeReaders.com you can enter to win a complete makeover from Visual Therapy, a luxury lifestyle firm based in New York, and a year supply of Bausch & Lomb Multi-Focal contact lenses.

Here is the link to the sweepstakes: http://goodbyereaders.com/promo.html.

Mix My Granola healthy, yummy and free delivery

Low-Fat GranolaYou have only 1 day left to ensure on-time delivery of your Mother’s Day Granola! As they promised, they guarantee that all Mother’s Day orders received by Friday 1pm will arrive in time for Mother’s Day.  Oh yes, they will ship all Mother’s Day orders via FedEx Overnight – at no extra charge!

So hurry up and mix that special Mother’s Day Granola at MixMyGranola or simply order their Happy Mother’s Day Granola Pre-Mix that comes with a special Happy Mother’s Day greeting card here. Like it even easier: Send an electronic Gift Certificate and let her be creative herself! Get your individual Mother’s Day Gift Certificate here.

 

 

My Opinion:

 

MixMyGranola is a very easy way to get a healthy mix of granola made just to order. I was given 15.00 to spend on their site to write this review. So, I went to the website which is very intuitive and informative. I was able to choose my base and learn about each base. I found how many calories were in each serving and which had more fiber.

Next you get to choose your fruit. They have so many different choices of dried fruit to choose from. I chose Bing Cherries and Goji Berries. I chose each because I have never had them before, I was surprised because I didn’t like the cherries but I did like the Goji berries. My whole family liked the Goji berries.

Next you get to choose your nuts. I chose pistachios. Again, I was trying to pick things I have never had before. I’m being daring.

Next I  chose wasabi peas, without looking at the information. The horseradish flavor from the peas disturbed all the other flavors. I also chose oat bran flakes and Tiramisu Carmel balls.

Overall, the experience was easy and tasty. I just wouldn’t recommend recreating my concoction. I enjoyed how easy it was to make it. I enjoyed the taste and how fresh all the ingredients were. Also, the packaging is all recyclable. That is the most impressive thing of all.

1-800-Flowers Interview and Giveaway

 

1-800-Flowers offered me the chance to interview Julie Mulligan. Julie Mulligan has over 25 years experience creating floral arrangements. She has designed for weddings, celebrities, and for instructional videos. She has appeared on The Montel Williams Show, Extra, WABC Eyewitness News, and NBC’s Weekend Today.

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Julie Mulligan writes her own blog at http://blog.1800flowers.com/julie/.

How would you decorate with flowers with a very modern and straight line theme?

I like color but I don’t like filler and baby’s breath.  Gerbera daisies are the way to go for a modern look – they are great without filler. The stems are beautiful and look great in any shaped glass vase.

How can people like my sister would LOVE flowers, keep their home decorated with flowers but not break the bank?

First of all, proper care and handling are essential. Be sure to always have clean water in the container. Change the water every couple of days and give the flowers a fresh cut on an angle. Also, be sure to use flower food in the water. Remove flowers past their prime. As the flowers die, cut the stems shorter and put them in a smaller container. By following all of these steps, your flowers are sure to last and your home will look beautiful without breaking the bank.

Where can you get the flowers and what helps flowers stay fresh longer without molding? (in WA we have a mold problem too much moisture in the air)?

Don’t mist your flowers and keep the water level low. If you keep the water level low, you must remember to add water more often.

1800 You can win a gift card or gift code for $30 for 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, which is perfect for their Every Mom Counts Collection, which is a selection of 30 gifts under $30.

Send mom some flowers for Mother’s Day, you know she’ll love them.

To Enter:

Visit Julie’s Blog and tell me what you learn from her.

Subscribe to my blog
Follow me on twitter tell me your twitter ID
Blog about the giveaway include a link to me and a link to the sponsor for three extra entries Tweet the giveaway (every time you tweet you get an entry) Link to the giveaway please!!!
Add my button to your blog/blog roll
Add my Father’s Day Fling Button to your blog or website.
Leave a comment for every entry and the giveaway ends May 28th

Thanks to my Mom

 

Thanks to my mom I am only 5 ft 6, I need glasses and I have a gap in my teeth. Thinking about what my mother gave me is hard because I have two moms. No, my moms aren’t gay, my parents go a divorce when I was two or three and my dad re-married.

My birth mother gave me my looks and sometimes crazy desires to do wild things without thinking them through. (I don’t have these urges very often especially now that I’m married and have my own children). When I was in high school and in college I would just drive to some destination with my best friend sitting beside me and we would go have some fun. Once we ended up in New Orleans, another time we were in Deep Elem.

My stepmom (I hate that word it has such a negative connotation to it.) gave me my motherly instincts and strength. I learned from her how to run a house. Women really are the ones that take care of the kids, keep the budget, and serve the meals. We do it all.

This blog blast was written in participation with JOHNSON’S® Brand and the Parent Bloggers Network. JOHNSON’s second annual Celebrity Hand Me Down charity auction runs from 7 pm PT on Thursday May 7 through 7 pm PT on Thursday May 14, featuring items donated by celebrity moms Gwyneth Paltrow and Jessica Alba.  All proceeds will benefit the new global JOHNSON’S® NO MORE TEARS® Clean Water initiative via their well-known charitable giving site, Baby Cause.

Aloha Friday

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Kailani says “In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that they take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response”. You should go to Kailani’s site and link up with Mr. Linky, but don’t be rude, be sure and answer her question

 

My question:

I have to say thank you!!!

For weeks now I have been getting the best advice and uplifting words from all of you. So I wanted to take this week and say Thanks!

Trebellina taught them “ABC”

Teach Your Baby Music with Trebellina and Friends! Trebellina is a cute little DVD that helps teach children how to sing. It is broken down to the very basics of the notes on a a sheet of music. By using the piano it shows children where the notes are starting with middle ‘c’. It also shows you a music clef and where the notes fall on the clef.

It’s not a miracle teaching device. There is no miracle teaching device in my opinion. Teaching your children takes work from the parent and the ability from your child to pay attention. All children learn differently. I do believe though you can teach toddlers at a very young age how to play the piano, how to sing, or even how to read. The Trebellina DVD even tells you that you should reinforce this learning with sheet music, singing, or your own musical instrument.

We’re learning with our own keyboard with the help of Trebellina, C D E F G A B. Miles is already starting to sing, but Zoe is absorbing. She has already illustrated that she won’t do something until she “KNOWS” it. Then she takes off with it. So I know she’s absorbing it.

Trebellina also introduces many different instruments. This review was possible thanks to Parent Reviewers.

31 bloggers in 31 days Day 6 – Karaoke Channel

Welcome to my blog.

I really wanted to do a video review but things are just not working out for me right now. I’m lucky that I can still blog. On Saturday my laptop crashed. My husband plugged it into the main computer to see if we could get it back up and well that made the main computer crash. Somehow my husband managed to get my computer up but it wasn’t until today he was able to get his computer back up. So video is out for now.

Which is quite sad, so let me tell you what I had planned.

Trisha from the queen of mommy bloggers, oh I mean MomDot is turning 31 years old on May 31st. She decided that having 31 bloggers doing giveaways would be a lot of fun and I agree. Going around to visit other bloggers is a ton of fun (I would be out there with you guys but family is in town, TODAY is my BIRTHDAY!!!, and our computer problems aren’t helping anything).

Day 6 is Momstart (me, did I mention today is my birthday and I’m only 29?)

THE KARAOKE CHANNELNo really, it should be about Trisha and my sponsor, The Karaoke Channel. Trisha has been nothing but extra wonderful to me and my blog. She accepted me as a member of Bloggers Give and I didn’t want to let her down so I have been working my butt off to get it off the ground with her. It’s been a lot of fun and I’ve learned a lot. And she has helped me reach some of my blogging goals. Now all I need is the confidence to start charging. She has become my friend. I consider her a good friend, even though we’ve never met. Don’t make her mad I think she leaves claw marks when she’s defending a friend. ;-) THANK YOU you’re the best. Happy Birthday!

Now for the Giveaway.

The KARAOKE Channel Karaoke Kit - PC & MAC (1 USB mixer + 2 microphones)The The Karaoke Channel is providing one winner a month’s free subscription and a Karaoke Kit. The set plugs into your computer and becomes a Karaoke Machine. The Kit is 39.95 on Amazon and you can bundle it into your purchase when you purchase a monthly subscription from The Karaoke Channel. There is a free trial and there are free songs, but to get the full feel of it I recommend purchasing the 9.95 plan.

I know it’s really sad that we don’t have any video because a Karaoke set really does need a video seal of approval and I was going to sing “Happy Birthday” to Trisha, Marilyn Monroe style. I had it all planned out…

My Opinion:

We have all test software on our computers, all beta versions and it still managed to work. There were a few kinks, but we’re impressed that it did so well in an unfamiliar setting. You can get an echo, which is a fun effect. You have two microphones so my kids don’t fight, oh wait even when toys are identical they want what the other one has.

Their web interface is a lot better than I expected it to be. We went into the children’s genre and pulled up kids songs to sing and the background had some school kids singing and playing instruments in the background. One of the backgrounds had fish. I really liked how easy it was, you just plug it in. It’s made for the most basic of systems. That was one of our issues, our system was so complex. Once we realized it was a simple set up, it worked fine, the browser issues was for the microphone to work we had to keep an arrow pushed down with the mouse. We feel it was a software issue and not The Karaoke Channel.

50.00 value is yours by visiting The Karaoke Channel and picking out a song. Giveaway Ends May 31st

Wordless Wednesday – grandparents visit

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Kleenex wants to give you 50.00 giveaway

I’m not even sure if we’ve tried these. I thought we had, but my husband said I was thinking of a different brand. So I can’t share my opinion on these.

We don’t do very well to battle the bug. My kids get sick all the time. I think the runny nose just coincides with young kids.

Whether you’re a parent, teacher or nurse, the cold and flu bug is out there all year long so it’s good to be prepared – but how?  With Kleenex Anti-Viral Tissues.  Kleenex Anti-Viral Tissues actually kill viruses in the tissue, so you can fight the bug all year long.

Mom Start has teamed up with Kleenex to offer one lucky reader Kleenex Anti-Viral Tissues as well as a $50 Visa Gift Card. 

To Enter:

Tell me in the comments section below how you Battle the Bug all year long, and don’t forget to check out www.battlethebug.com!

Extra Entries:

Subscribe to my blog
Follow me on twitter tell me your twitter ID
Blog about the giveaway include a link to me and a link to the sponsor for three extra entries Tweet the giveaway (every time you tweet you get an entry) Link to the giveaway please!!!
Add my button to your blog/blog roll
Add my Father’s Day Fling Button to your blog or website.
Leave a comment for every entry and the giveaway ends May 30th