Darigold Cottage Cheese and Home Cooking For Busy Moms

Darigold and I decided to work together. I asked if they would send me a sample of something they make and i think we decided on cottage cheese. I find that cottage cheese is one of my daughter’s favorite snacks. It’s called cheese, what’s not to love about it. One thing I like to do to add more richness and health to it for her is add some fruit. We like to add pineapple and strawberries. I’m sure you can add nuts, like almonds or walnuts too. I bet even mandarin oranges would make a fine addition to the cottage cheese. Well Darigold understands that moms are busy with schedules and some have jobs and still run the household With work, errands, soccer games the thought of sitting down to a home-cooked meal is a pleasant fantasy.

Cooking meals from scratch is just one of those chores I don’t always feel like doing at the end of the day. A box of macaroni and cheese is often where I will turn, or I’ll pop those hot dogs in the microwave and cook those up. It’s quick and easy.

When Minutes Matter: Home Cooking for Busy Moms

With moms having so many demands on their time these days, many resort to fast food or pre-packaged food not realizing how attainable a “from scratch” dinner really is. In fact, a UCLA study released in 2007 showed that families who prepared meals using shortcuts like packaged foods, pre-made sauces and food “kits” only saved on average 10 minutes over those who made meals entirely from scratch.

Good for You

Aside from the aesthetics of a house filled with appetizing aromas, cooking from scratch has many benefits. It’s a lot easier to maintain a healthy diet when you’re not relying on convenience meals rich in sodium, fats and preservatives.

Check out Darigold for more information.

I finally Understand Gather.com Here’s the Secret

Just as a reminder I’d like to say:

Gather Points™ program, a popular site feature that rewards members for creating great experiences for the community. Gather Points can be exchanged for gift cards from partners like Amazon.com, Starbucks, Target, The Gap, and Home Depot; new partners are added all the time. You can even redeem your points for cash through PayPal to buy the stuff you want most!

So I was looking at one of the newsletters and something caught my eye. It said, you have 35 points. I’m thinking 35 points what did I do with 35 points.

Your Gather Points Statement.

Hi Louise,

Here is your Gather points statement for Jul 18, 2009.

Points earned in the last 30 days: 0
Points total: 56
Points needed for a $10 redemption: 569
Points needed for a $25 redemption: 1,509
Points needed for a $50 redemption: 3,069

Remember that you can redeem your points for gift cards from Gather Points™ partners like Amazon.com, Starbucks, Target, The Gap, and Home Depot. You can even redeem your points for cash through PayPal to buy the stuff you want most.

Learn how to increase your earnings on Gather by joining the Earn More Points group.

All I did was sign up for this because I read on someone’s blog that they make money at Amazon with Gather.com. I was thinking at the time, sign me up for that. Now, signing up is so easy. You get your verification link and your in (after filling out all the questions but it’s painless I promise). Then you just do stuff to earn points. One way could be to ask others to sign up.

I was invited to sign up for the bedtime promotion

The group Special Bedtime Moments has just sent you a message. View this message here.

[Special Bedtime Moments]Bedtime Chat Today at 9:00 PM ET (6:00 PM PST) – What are some of the bedtime battles you face at night that might prevent you f
"Bedtime Chat Today at 9:00 PM ET (6:00 PM PST) – What are some of the bedtime battles you face at night that might prevent you from focusing on special bedtime moments with your kids? Share yours . . ."

 

In exchange I could earn some points, I didn’t do it because I’m so busy I can’t see straight. But here are other things you can do:

Make lasting memories with your children with a Bedtime Moments kit.

Create a movie collection with our DVD giveaways.

Add to your iPod playlist with a George Harrison boxset

I mean other moms are making money doing it, so you should too:

The company recently announced that they’ve paid out more than $500,000 to members since the Gather Points program began. Since the start of 2009, members have redeemed over $85,000 in points they have put towards everything from home improvement projects and family vacations to summer fun for the kids.

“Gather Points have helped me buy the extra things that my kids have asked for without having to break the bank!” said Bridget A., a Gather Member who has earned $2,460 since joining the site in 2007. (http://cheekymommaof2.gather.com/) “I used my earnings from Gather Points to entirely fund our 2008 summer vacation to the Oregon Coast, where I also got to meet a fellow Gather member.”

So wow, I’m going to try and earn a few points and see if I can save my family some money by earning money.

TNT wanted to share “You know you are a parent when”

Thursday Morning Fun from TBS….

“You Know You’re a Parent When…”

Having kids means that you’re constantly reminded of the fact that yes, you are parent. But instead of pretending that your children aren’t the ones running around with no pants, try embracing that special badge of honor that says “what have I gotten myself into?” Relax and enjoy some unconventional parenting insight brought to you by THE BILL ENGVALL SHOW.

You Know You’re a Parent When…

Your email signature reads “Do What I Say. Not What I Do.”

You decide to trade in your convertible for a minivan and cry the whole way to the dealership.

You’ve fixed someone’s hair with spit.

You’ve paid a costumed character to show up at your house.

No one calls you by your first name anymore. Now you’re simply known as someone’s Mom.

There’s an entire box of cereal buried in the cracks between your car seats. And you’ve considered eating it while waiting in the carpool line.

Instead of goodnight kisses, you now get goodnight text messages.

At least once a week you ask yourself “Whose kids are these?”

You’ve threatened competitors at the school science fair.

You find yourself wearing your pajamas for a coffee run or to drop off the kids. It’s not like you have time to get out of the car anyway.

You’ve been to soccer practice, ballet and story time all before 11am.

Most of your advice starts with “When I was your age.”

You have to explain how math will be useful some day.

Sleeping late means 8:15 am.

You read more than one parenting blog a day.

You realize your parents only come visit to see the grandkids.

You wipe anyone’s mouth other than yours.

You’ve hosted a graduation party for an 11-year-old.

You talk about bodily functions more than most doctors.

You occasionally forget to bathe.

You want to tell your kids about the birds and the bees, but you can’t remember the last time you did it.

For more hilarious parenting moments, tune in to THE BILL ENGVALL SHOW Saturday nights at 9/8c on TBS!!

Aloha Friday – Vlog

alohafriday5 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 be sure and answer her question.

 

So my question for today is

Do you think that blogs are going to be moving towards Vlogs or not?

 

I think know, I don’t think everyone is into Vlogs. I was talking to Jennifer James from MomBloggersClub and she feels the same way that I do. A lot of people get annoyed with sound or they don’t have the patience for video to load. They would prefer to skim the page. I don’t ever have my sound on on my computer. My kids are in bed and my volume is off. When I do VLogs I keep this in mind. I write up a different version of what I said on my Vlog. What is your opinion on the subject?

Tuesday night on TNT Saving Grace Season 2 DVD set #Giveaway

ftp://tbstntpress:letter83x@tsftp.turner.com/logos/SavingGrace_GoldNoLines.jpgHave you caught up on Saving Grace yet? I started my journey with Saving Grace on Season Three but I do love to sit and watch an entire DVD set at one time. So playing catch up is so much fun in my opinion. I know other people wait until seasons are released and then they watch it. That’s what my sister does. Then there are those that watch it over and over and over again and I fall into this category too. I’m a TV junkie. Darn the internet for making it so easy to watch TV all the time. Ok Back to topic:

If you want to know anything about Saving Grace you can read my review of Saving Grace Season 3.

 

ftp://tbstntpress:letter83x@tsftp.turner.com/SavingGrace_Season3_Tuesdays%20at%2010%20pm/Photography/Gallery/Saving%20Grace_Holly%20Hunter1_Ph-Jeff%20Riedel.jpg

 

So Party for Tuesday Nights this giveaway will end on Tuesday August 11th. You can win one t-shirt of Saving Grace and Season 2 DVD Set.

 

Saving Grace: Season Two

 

To Enter:

Tell me what TNT show you love to watch.

Extra Entries:

None Bloggers get and extra entry for every e-mail they send out linking to this giveaway cc louise@looksblue.com (be sure to leave a comment for every person you e-mail, for example if you e-mail 10 different people leave 10 different comments)

Subscribe to my blog
Follow me on twitter tell me your twitter ID
Blog about the giveaway include a link to me for five 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
Dig, Stumble, or fav me on Technorati (two entries for each one)
Leave a comment for every entry

The contest will run until Tuesday August 11th 11:59 pm Pacific. The winner will be selected by www.random.org

Lots of great deals at Rite Aid until Saturday

I don’t have a lot of time this week so I’m taking this great deal from the Salem Oregon Super Savers

Visit Your Group

$ 3.99 Citre Shine
-$ 3.00 rebate
-$ 1.00 coupon

$ 1.99 Skintimate
-$ 1.00 rebate
-$ 1.50 coupon

$ 2.99 Loreal nail color
-$ 2.00 rebate
-$ 1.00 coupon from www.lorealparisusa.com

$ 7.99 Sambucol
-$ 7.00 rebate

$ 3.99 Ayr saline spray
-$ 3.00 rebate

$ 3.99 Dristan
-$ 3.00 rebate

$ 6.99 Legatrin PM
-$ 6.00 rebate

$ 6.99 Stopain
-$ 6.00 rebate

$ 3.99 Pure Shine
-$ 3.00 rebate

$ 3.99 Lysine +
-$ 3.00 rebate

-$ 5.00 coupon off of 25 from http://content.riteaid.com/rabrand/email_coupon_4G.pdf

Then you can also do a great Huggies Deal. Here is an example from my super saving group on Big Tent, If you want an invitation just let me know. I’ll get you invited.

I purchase Huggies Diapers but should work with Huggies Pull Ups too.

Basically I got 6 jumbo packs of Huggies diapers (valued at $68.94 without tax) for $8.69. See below:

Transaction #1

(all these figures will be before tax)

3 Jumbo packs of Huggies diapers for $11.49 ea =$34.47 I used 3-$2.00 off Huggies diapers coupons http://www.gracobaby.com/CatalogRequest/Pages/RequestCatalog.aspx?cid=926 (download pdf file & print page 35 (5) copies)and

1-$5 off $25 purchase Rite Aid coupon http://content.riteaid.com/rabrand/email_coupon_4G.pdf

Total out of pocket: $23.47

Transaction #2

(you will need to purchase $2.02 of filler item to total the $25 purchase amount to use $5 off coupon)

2 Jumbo packs of Huggies Diapers for $11.49ea I also purchase 1-Citre Hair product for $3.99 (this was my filler item because it worked out to be free after their rebate & my coupon) I used 2-$2.00 off Huggies diapers coupons and

1$5 off $25 purchase Rite Aid coupon http://content.riteaid.com/rabrand/email_coupon_4G.pdf and

1 coupon for $1.00 off Citre Hair product Total out of pocket: $16.97

Total out of pocket for both transactions:

$40.44

$ 3.00 Less rebate for Citre Hair product through Rite Aid Rebate program

$37.44

$25.00 Gift card back from Rite Aid rebate program (for purchasing $50 of Kimberely-Clark products)-will come via US Mail

$12.44

$ 3.75 Less rebate back from www.caregiversmarketplace.com ($.75 per 5 packs of Huggies jumbo size diapers) $ 8.69

*$11.49 value Coupon voucher for 1 more pack of Huggies jumbo size diapers (buy 5 packs get 6th free) through Rite Aid rebate program-will come via US Mail

So that works out to be 6 jumbo packs of Huggies diapers valued at $68.94 for $8.69.

 

Thank you to both groups for contributing to MomStart

Pillsbury New Simply Cookie Dough Printable Coupon

 

The PSSST program sent me a coupon for free Simply Cookies and I love cookies and there was no change in these. I also get to share coupons with my readers. So Please feel free to print a coupon.

 

 

Print a Pillsbury simply…™ cookies electronic coupon

Earth Mama Angel Baby - Pregnancy

I’m In Chicago and not for BlogHer, I’m here with Sara Lee’s Nutrition Summit

Tonight I’m going to be eating out on Sara Lee’s dime and I’m really excited about it. I’m going to be meeting some new bloggers and seeing some I met two weeks ago. It’s not as exciting and crazy as BlogHer but, it’s much more intimate.

clip_image002Tomorrow I’m going to be learning about Sara Lee’s Soft and Smooth bread made with Whole Grain. Everyone and their dog is talking about “Whole Grain”. It’s like the new marketing buzz word in healthy food. Pop Tarts are made out of whole grain now, so what’s the deal?

 

 

What is Whole Grain?

So grain, all grains rather, have three parts: the bran (which is the protective outer shell, high in fiber and B vitamins), germ (Which is the seed for a new plant, containing B vitamins, some protein, minerals and healthy oils) and endosperm (Which is composed of starch,protein, and some vitamins and minerals).

wholegrainWhole grains or foods made from them contain all three and
naturally-occurring nutrients of the entire grain seed. Verses what we are used to enriched (”white”) flour and it contains only the endosperm, while whole grain flour contains extra protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals that are found only in the bran and germ.

The following are considered whole grains:
Amaranth, Barley (lightly pearled), Brown and Colored Rice, Buckwheat, Bulgur, Corn and Whole Cornmeal, Emmer, Farro, Grano (lightly pearled wheat), Kamut® grain, Millet, Oatmeal and Whole Oats, Popcorn, Quinoa, Sorghum, Spelt, Triticale, Whole Rye, Whole or Cracked Wheat, Wheat Berries, and Wild Rice.

But remember to really be whole grain it has to have all three parts of the grain.

Wordless Wednesday – Plasma Car

IMG_1002

Caffeinated Jerky #giveaway

Jerky.com sent me some caffeinated jerky. It’s actually very good. I love it. I wasn’t expecting to like it. I was also afraid that it was just a joke, but it’s not. It is made with Guarana and Ginseng. Guarana, a Brazilian berry, offers a delicious flavoring and a caffeinated zap. Ginseng, an Asian herb, assists the body to restore itself to health and it has beneficial effects on sports performance.

Product Description:

Lightning Rods are the original high energy beef sticks with an energy boost in every bite. They are the perfect blend of energy enhancement in a delicious beef snack. Packed 42 individually wrapped 0.95 oz sticks per box, these gluten-free 5 inch beef sticks are mildly flavored with a pleasing aftertaste. Made in the USA with US-raised beef, Lightning Rods feature the unique combo of Guarana and Ginseng. Guarana, a Brazilian berry, offers a delicious flavoring and a caffeinated zap. Ginseng, an Asian herb, assists the body to restore itself to health and it has beneficial effects on sports performance. Let the energy evolution begin!

 

Enter to Win 3 Caffeinated Jerky Single Packages (1.50 each)

To Enter:

Visit Jerky.com and tell me what other jerky you would love to try.

Extra Entries:

None Bloggers get and extra entry for every e-mail they send out linking to this giveaway cc louise@looksblue.com (be sure to leave a comment for every person you e-mail, for example if you e-mail 10 different people leave 10 different comments)

Subscribe to my blog
Follow me on twitter tell me your twitter ID
Blog about the giveaway include a link to me for five 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
Dig, Stumble, or fav me on Technorati (two entries for each one)
Leave a comment for every entry

The contest will run until Monday August 10th 11:59 pm Pacific. The winner will be selected by www.random.org