You are here: Home / 2010 / Archives for December 2010

Get a 30.00 Gift Card At Walmart

December 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Walmat 30.00 Gift Card OfferOh, I’ve got more news from Walmart. Since you’re going to be doing some shopping anyways, why not head on over to Walmart. If you purchase one of four items that you can receive a 30.00 gift card for future purchases.

From Friday, December 17, 2010 at 9PM until Sunday, December 19, 2010 at midnight, buy any of the following Better Homes and Gardens Kitchen Collection items and receive a $30 Walmart gift card upon checkout!
• Better Homes and Gardens Grind and Brew Coffee Maker
• Better Homes and Gardens Food Processor
• Better Homes and Gardens Stand Mixer
• Better Homes and Garden 10 pc. Porcelain Enamel Cookware Set

Available while supplies last.

Filed Under: savings Tagged With: , , , ,

Giveaway Jingle Link Up Your Giveaways Here!

December 16, 2010 By 9 Comments

You’ve got a giveaway, I want to know about it!

boy with ballons

Filed Under: linky Tagged With: , ,

Beauty Gift Basket Giveaway, Conair Infiniti You Style Curling Iron, Soft Lips, and Scrunci

December 16, 2010 By 521 Comments

I want to share with you the Conair Holiday gift guide. I have tried each of these three products, and I would have to say that the hair dryer, Infiniti Cord-Keeper By Conair, is my favorite because it has the retractable cord.

Start out by blow-drying hair with either the Infiniti Pro by Conair 1875-Watt Salon-Performance AC Motor Styling Tool that utilizes a powerful AC (alternating current) motor, making it easy to harness salon-quality power at home, or the Infiniti Cord-Keeper By Conair Tourmaline Ceramic Ionic Hair Styler that has a cord that retracts right back into the handle for easy storage! Each uses ionic technology that reduces static electricity and leaves hair silkier, shinier, and more manageable. (suggested retail price of $38.99 for the Infiniti Pro and $36.99 for the Cord-Keeper). I purchased the cord-keeper on my own and love it!!

Finish the look by adding soft, sexy curls with the Infiniti by Conair You Curl that has a unique, clamp-free design and a cone-shaped barrel that creates trendy, free-flowing spirals with no “clamp kinks.” (suggested retail price $49.99). The You Curl was not my favorite because I kept burning my fingers on it. But if you need a multipurpose tool, try the Infiniti by Conair You Style that can create both soft waves and sleek straight locks with the flip of the wrist! I do like the Infiniti by Conair You Style. I have one like it and  use it all the time. I also received one in exchange for this post, but it was used as a donation to the tweet drive in Seattle. (suggested retail price $41.99).

One product that I have not tried would be the Conair Xtreme Instant Heat Multisized Hot Rollers. The 20 multi-sized ceramic hot rollers instantly heat up, and the clips and rollers are both heated for extra hold.  (suggested retail price $41.99)

Conair products are available nationwide at mass market and drug store retailers as well as www.conair.com. Visit www.facebook.com/conairhair for more information and to enter the Holiday Hair Haul Sweepstakes to win an assortment of hair tools and accessories along with a great beauty bag set!

Oh and I almost forgot to mention, I’m a scunci girl! No matter what length my hair is it’s almost always up in a scunci!

Looking to “do it up” for the holidays?  Look to scunci hair accessories!  The scunci UpZing double combs can create dozens of styles from polished ponies to glam up-dos, and new Evolution hair ties, headbands and claw clips utilize new stay-put technology to hold your style until you take it out!

scunci products are available nationwide at mass market and drug store retailers. For more information, visit www.scunci.com or visit the scunci Facebook page at www.facebook.com/scuncihair or to enter the Holiday Hair Haul sweepstakes.

Soft Lips Lip GlossSoft Lips was also a supporter in the tweetdrive. They sent us 100 samples for the swag bags. So Soft Lips You rock. Lips need protection especially during the winter months, so protect them with Softlips lip conditioning balms. The new Softlips limited edition holiday flavors- Sugar & Spice, Winter Mint, Sugar Cookie, Sugar Plum Berry and Mint with a hint of Vanilla provide a tasty winter treat for your lips!  Each irresistibly delicious flavor  also features SPF 20.sun protection (suggested retail price for the Holidays 5-pack $9.99).  Softlips products are available in mass retail, supermarkets and drug stores nationwide along with Softlips.com. Visit www.softlips.com to learn more about the products or access the new Facebook page.

 

Enter to Win:

Infiniti by Conair You Style, a few scunci products, a few soft lips products, Certain Dri Anti-Perspirant, and ROHTO Cooling Eye Drops. So you win a really cool Beauty Gift Basket.

To Enter:

Leave me a comment telling me which product you are most excited to win.

Tweet:

Beauty Gift Basket #Giveaway including Conair, Scrunci, Soft Lips and More Enter Here http://bit.ly/dQAlKw

Enter The Commit A Minute Giveaway
Subscribe to my blog RSS, or e-mail
Follow me on twitter
Follow me on Google Friend Connect
List this giveaway on any giveaway site, dig or stumble or use any of the share methods below facebook included (just leave a link to this post wherever you share it
Leave a comment on any non-giveaway post

Leave a comment for every entry, This giveaway ends January 3. I received samples of each product to use as a donation in the TweetDrive. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Filed Under: 2010 Gift Guide, giveaway Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Party Time with Chex Mix Create a Party Mix Recipe

December 16, 2010 By 32 Comments

Win everything you need to make a great Chex Mix. I love baking a Chex party mix as a snack even though I haven’t done so in a long time. I’ve been so busy with the kids but it’s such an easy thing to do so I really have no excuse. I’m sure if I searched in the pantry I would find everything I need to make one. All it is, is Chex Cereal of one kind or use all three varients, then add nuts, pretzels or crackers, butter or oil, salt or garlic powder or both. You can actually use any seasoning you want your party mix to taste like. Visit your local Walmart to find free recipe cards for Chex Lemon Buddies as well as the new Chex Apple Pie Snack Mix and Tex Chex® Party Mix recipes! The blend of flavors in the new homemade mixes will help you create irresistible new favorites and wow your crowd! Here are a few recipes courtesy of Chex Mix.

Basic Chex Mix Recipe:

chex mix3 cups Corn Chex® cereal
3 cups Rice Chex® cereal
3 cups Wheat Chex® cereal
1 cup mixed nuts
1 cup bite-size pretzels
1 cup garlic-flavor bite-size bagel chips or regular-size bagel chips, broken into 1-inch pieces
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned

Chex Pumpkin Pie Crunch

1/4 cup brown sugarChex Pumpkin Pie Mix
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups Cinnamon Chex® cereal
2 cups Wheat Chex® cereal
2 cups Honey Nut Chex® cereal
8 oz pecans

Prep

To ease the load of last-minute prep, make the mix up to 2 weeks ahead and store in an airtight container.

Directions:
1. In small bowl, mix brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice; set aside. In small microwave-safe dish, microwave butter on High about 30 seconds or until melted. Stir in vanilla. In large microwavable bowl, mix all cereals and pecans. Pour butter mixture over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly distributed. Add sugar and spice mixture and stir until coated.

2. Microwave uncovered on High 5 minutes or until mixture begins to brown, stirring every minute. Spread on wax paper or a cookie sheet to cool. Store in airtight container.

Or How About

Chili-Lime Chex Mix

chili-lime chex mix8 cups Corn Chex® cereal
1 cup corn nuts
1 cup bite-size cheese crackers
1 cup mini pretzel twists
1 cup corn chips
6 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

chex party mix logoDirections:

1. In large microwavable bowl, mix cereal, corn nuts, crackers, pretzels and corn chips. Set aside. In small microwavable bowl, microwave butter uncovered on High about 40 seconds or until melted. Stir in lime juice, lime zest and seasonings. Pour over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly coated.

2. Microwave uncovered on High 5 to 6 minutes, stirring thoroughly every 2 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container.

With at least over 50 recipes on the Chex Mix website it seems like the sky is the limit. I couldn’t believe all the possibilities, and then it got me to thinking, what would your recipe be?

 

chex-walmart

Enter to Win:

Chex Mix Swag Bag
Box of Rice Chex Cereal
Set of Measuring Cups

To Enter:

Leave a comment telling me what you like to season your Chex Mix with

Extra Entries:

Follow me on Google Friend Connect
List this giveaway on any giveaway site, dig or stumble or use any of the share methods below facebook included (just leave a link to this post wherever you share it
Leave a comment on any non-giveaway post

Leave a comment for every entry, This giveaway ends January 3. I received samples of Apple Cider K-cups to facilitate this review. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

The products received were from myblogspark on behalf of Chex Mix to facilitate this review and blog post.

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With: , , , , ,

Johnsonville Sausage Cabbage Skillet Recipe

December 16, 2010 By 1 Comment

Johnsonville Sausage makes quite a variety of sausage. My favorite is the Turkey Sausage because it is lower in calories, but I’m quite excited to try the Polish Sausage in this recipe that Johnsonville shared with me.

Sausage Cabbage SkilletSausage Cabbage Skillet

2 packages (24 ounces each) prepared mashed potatoes

1 package (16 ounces) Johnsonville® smoked Polish sausage, halved

1 large onion, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium head cabbage, cored and cut into wedges

¼ teaspoon pepper

Heat potatoes according to package directions; keep warm. In a large skillet, sauté sausage and onion in butter until onion is tender. Add cabbage and pepper. Cover skillet; cook over medium heat for 10-12 minutes or until cabbage is tender. Serve with potatoes.

6 servings.

Total Time: 30 min.

Cost per serving $1.79

I received some samples in exchange for this post.

Filed Under: recipe Tagged With: , , , , ,

Lets Go Green Compostable Tableware

December 16, 2010 By 2 Comments

Throwing a party does not mean that you have to toss all of your green eco behaviors out the window. You can plan a party, send out invitations, serve food on earth friendly place settings, and clean up with eco friendly cleaners. Today, Summer shares with us just a Hefty Basicsfew good ideas on throwing a party the eco friendly way starting with what you use to clean up with.

Eating on and washing regular dishes with phosphate-free detergent has the least impact on the environment. However, if you don’t plan on using your real plates and silverware at your holiday party then be sure you use compostable products. All paper napkins and towels are compostable. Same goes for flatware and cups which can be made out of wood, corn or potato starch, sugarcane, bagasse (pulp from plant products), or wheat straw which all compost. Cups which are paper with no lining, not even wax lining, can also be composted. Plates follow the same rules and can be found also made from the same materials as the cups and flatware. The best part is NO CLEANING. Even with all the food, food ruminants, or beverage left on them – it’s all compostable. A simple search on Amazon made shopping easy, or head to your local Whole Foods or farmer co-op grocery store, in Seattle we have PCC. At LetsGoGreen you can obtain all your place setting for about a dollar each depending on quantity.


Check with your local waste management about yard waste/compost bins for your area. Be sure to follow their specific guidelines for your area. Most collection bins are composted for using in public area so you reap the benefits; this helps keep the soil ripe with nutrients that plates and animals need. If you have the room, you can consider creating your own compost bin in your yard.

Hefty just sent me a press release mentioning that they just created Hefty® Basics disposable tableware product line. This line of paper plates are biodegradable in-home composting and free of inks, dyes or coatings.  Hefty® Basics™ paper plates are stronger than everyday plates at a value price, and provide a great choice for people interested in an environmental option. For every 10 likes on Hefty Basics Facebook fan page they will plant a new tree through the Arbor Day Foundation.

 

About Summer:

Summer is the President of our Local MOMS Club chapter, she is the mother of two adorable active boys, and is always thinking of ways to help others. She is a friend, a wife, and always busy as all mommies are. She is very active on Facebook, addicted to Geocaching and very interested in organic and green living.

Filed Under: green Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Making Hot Apple Cider with a Keurig Coffee Brewer

December 15, 2010 By 1,099 Comments

GMCR_Ntrls_HAC_16My husband and I have been using and loving the Keurig Coffee Brewer for about 4 years now, which I think is about when they came out. My husband loves gadgets and we used to waste a ton of coffee. A TON! We originally purchased the Keurig coffee brewer when I was pregnant with Zoe, I certainly wasn’t going to get up and make my husband a cup of coffee being as big and uncomfortable as I was.

We make coffee all day long and it’s fresh and that’s what I love about Keurig. We can make a cup of pretty much anything when we are ready for it. We don’t have to drink the same flavor Apple Cideror at the same time. We also love to give Keurig Coffee Brewers away as Christmas presents. Last year we gave one away to my sister in law.

I love holiday beverages, and the kids just adore hot cocoa and Hot Apple Cider. After a long wait, Keurig and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters have debuted Apple Cider K-Cups, which will provide you with a a warm, comforting mug of cider with a hint of brown sugar and just a touch of cinnamon. The Apple Cider K-cups are delicious. I think they got the recipe just right, sometimes I find Apple Cider to be too much on the sour side. The Hot Apple Cider K-cups do have just the right amount of brown sugar keeping me from making a sour face as I drink it.

 

 

keurig mini plus

Enter to Win:

Keurig Mini Coffee Brewer and A box of Apple Cider K-cups

To Enter:

Visit Keurig and tell me which color of the Mini you would hope to win or visit Green Mountain Coffee and tell me what flavor of coffee you want to try.

Extra Entries:

Tweet:

Hot Apple Cider K-cups #Giveaway & A Keurig Mini Plus to Brew it in Enter Here http://bit.ly/fzuI0Q

Enter The Commit A Minute Giveaway
Subscribe to my blog RSS, or e-mail
Follow me on twitter
Follow me on Google Friend Connect
List this giveaway on any giveaway site, dig or stumble or use any of the share methods below facebook included (just leave a link to this post wherever you share it
Leave a comment on any non-giveaway post

Leave a comment for every entry, This giveaway ends January 3. I received samples of Apple Cider K-cups to facilitate this review. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Filed Under: 2010 Gift Guide, giveaway, review Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Lysol Disinfecting Wipes 200.00 American Express Gift Card Giveaway

December 15, 2010 By 1,016 Comments

disinfecting-wipes-4in1

Having a new puppy and accidents all over my hard wood floor, I am using Lysol Disinfecting wipes left and right. I’m also using them every day to clean out Abby’s crate. She’s just a puppy and can’t seem to go longer than 30 minutes without making a mess in her crate. So I trust Lysol to get rid of all those nasty germs that I do not want my kids around.

It’s also cold and flu season and with Zoe in preschool she’s bringing home every germ under the sun. Health is a big priority for me in my house, because with all my traveling, I seem to be the one always getting sick. Zoe brings it home and I get sick. The neighbors come over and I get sick. So I’m taking to sanitizing things a lot more often. I guess, I’m finally taking my grandmother’s advice and doing it at least once a week. I should have listened to her sooner. To make it even easier for moms like me to help stop the spread of germs this cold & flu season, LYSOL is offering Buy 1 Get 1 Free packs of LYSOL Disinfecting Wipes and LYSOL Dual Action Disinfecting Wipes at major retailers nationwide through January 2011. You can even give one to your child’s teacher to help keep classrooms germ free!

Lysol disinfecting wipes are for use in your home and locations around your community, such as schools, LYSOL Disinfecting Wipes kill 99.9% of germs to help keep your family healthy during cold & flu season so you can do more with your kids. LYSOL Dual Action Disinfecting Wipes have a scrubbing side that cleans tough messes like soap scum and grease. Use LYSOL  Wipes to kill viruses and bacteria like Influenza A, H1N1 and E. coli on commonly touched hard surfaces. Don’t forget to check out the Lysol the community and new Facebook pages.

Enter to Win

1 of 2 100.00 American Express Gift Cards

To Enter for one:

Share your favorite cleaning tips leave each tip in a new comment

To Enter for the other gift card:

I need someone to go out to Walmart, Target, anywhere that Lysol is sold and take a photo of the Lysol Display! Then tweet your photo @momstart, or post it on your blog and leave a link in the comments. It’s 100.00 for a photo! Easy peasy! You can win both cards too if you do both entries!

** One of the gift cards will only be awarded to someone that did this entry method *****

Extra Entries available after you do at least one of the above.

Tweet your favorite cleaning tip, and #LysolCleaningTips

ex: My favorite Cleaning tip is get the kids to fold and put away the laundry #LysolCleaningTips http://bit.ly/ifIKnK

(but whatever you do is fine)

And Tweet: Share your Favorite Cleaning Tip to Win up to 200.00 #Giveaway #LysolCleaningTips http://bit.ly/ifIKnK

Enter The Commit A Minute Giveaway
Subscribe to my blog
Follow me on twitter
List this giveaway on any giveaway site, dig or stumble or use any of the share methods below

Leave a comment for every entry, This giveaway ends January 3rd. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With: , , , , , ,

How to Use Hasbro Vintage Star Wars Action Figures to Make a Monopoly Game

December 15, 2010 By 4 Comments

Hasbro Sent us one Han Solo action figure this year to get me to advertise about their release of Vintage Star Wars Action Figures, well that brought up some very fond memories of what my husband gave me for Christmas years ago.

 

IMG_7272I love Han Solo, so my husband bought every single Han Solo action figure he could find to make me the Monopoly of my dreams. Oh, have I ever mentioned that I’m addicted to the game Monopoly and we have over 50 versions of the game, and yes, My Han Solo edition that my husband made is my favorite version of Monopoly!

This is basically what he did.

He used the movie, the actual movie to capture high quality graphics to create game board. I don’t have the game board anymore or I would show you a picture of it. The board didn’t survive moving and storage, but we do have the digital copies somewhere so my husband can recreate it for me sometime.

He spend hours hunting down the action figures about 7 years ago. It looks like Star Wars action figures are a lot easier to find right now verses 5 years ago. But anyhow, he  found about 10 different characters and half of them were all different versions of Han Solo.

He found some acrylic frames and used those as the boards for the action figures to stand on. He hot glued them down.

acrylic framesStar Wars Action Figures

He printed up chance, and community chest cards and called them Fate of the Galaxy and Pilot’s Maneuver.  He used beads as currency, and wooden pieces as houses and really cool carved pieces as the hotels. IMG_7273

He also put a great amount of detail into the Monopoly property cards.

Monopoly property cards

I can not tell you how much my husband and I love to play games together, it’s really sad to say that I spend way more time on the computer than with him. Which is why I’m such a strong supporter of creating a family game night in your family. Then you all force yourselves to stop everything that you are doing and be a family, make happy memories and just have a great time together.

If you have gifts to check off on your holiday shopping list or are in search for fun entertainment as your family gathers during the yuletide season, look no further than the game aisle. On December 5, the USA Weekend to had exclusive coupons offering $5 off a great selection of Hasbro games including brands that you know and love, such as Scrabble, Twister, Trivial Pursuit, Sorry!, Pictureka!, and more. And starting December 6, visit www.familygamenight.com to access these coupons online. It’s not too late to get a few coupons!

I received two action figures in exchange for this post. I donated one to the Tweetdrive in Seattle and kept the other for my Han Solo edition Monopoly game.

Filed Under: 2010 Gift Guide Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Ralph Lauren Donation Ralph Lauren Baby Layette

December 15, 2010 By 5 Comments

I’m a Ralph Lauren Ambassador working with Mom Central and as part three of the campaign with both of them, Ralph Lauren sent me a beautiful baby layette. The Ralph Lauren Baby Layette was donated to Treehouse as part of the Seattle Tweet Drive I participated in.

Ralph Lauren Baby Layette

The Layette was absolutely gorgeous. The hat and mittens were so soft and looked like they would keep a baby so warm. I was very honored and humbled by the ability to donate these wonderful items to such a worthy charity as Treehouse. Treehouse is an orphanage, a charity set up to help orphans and families that adopt, or foster them. Children are able to go “shopping” as you will and pick out a Christmas present. I think it’s an amazing place helping so many kids in need. Last year they helped over 5,000 different children.

My son Miles helped me to take photos of all the products that Ralph Lauren sent us to donate.

Ralph Lauren Layette one piece

 

Cotton Cable Hat & Bootie Set

  • Adorable baby’s hat and bootie set knit in soft, hearty cabled cotton.
  • Cable-knit hat with ribbed foldover brim and seamed crown for a snug fit.
  • Cabled booties have a ribbed foldover ankle cuff with a delicate cord woven through and tied at the ankle and textured knit sole.
  • 100% cotton. Machine washable. Imported.
  • Price: $65.00

image

Snap-Front Footed Coverall

  • A long-sleeved footed coverall in soft cotton jersey is crafted in an easy snap-front design with essential fold-over cuffs.
  • Ribbed neckline and placket.
  • Full-snap front down to the footed hem for ultra-easy on and off.
  • Long raglan sleeves have turn-back cuffs that fold over your infant’s hands to prevent scratches.
  • Tonal embroidered pony accents the chest.
  • 100% cotton. Machine washable. Imported.
  • Price: $27.50

 

"I am a participant in a Mom Central Consulting campaign for Ralph Lauren and received a Ralph Lauren Baby Layette set to help facilitate my review."

Filed Under: 2010 Gift Guide, review Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »