At Last Naturals Gift Basket Giveaway

You know I had a hysterectomy over a year ago and I don’t have PMS exactly but I’m having a lot more trouble controlling my emotions than I used to and I wasn’t exactly sure what to do about it. So I decided to give a few At Last Naturals products a try. At Last Naturals are a line of all natural products for women developed by a woman. Each product helps an ailment we all receive from PMS or menopause. At Last Naturals are available in topical creams, gels, and as herbal supplements. Each were primarily developed to restore the body to optimum balance helping women to embrace that change in life. Each Wild Yam product includes a proprietary blend of wild yam root, which is also known as Dioscorea. Wild Yam is known for helping to assist with natural PMS relief, as well as relief from perimenopause and menopause imbalances.  Out of fear of giving anyone medical advice, or saying anything is a cure all, that I’m not qualified to give, I’m just going to give you guys the product descriptions and let you decide for yourself if you wish to use them.

At Last Naturals "Get Lucky" Sweepstakes

Test your luck this month and enter for chance to win the At Last Naturals, “Get Lucky” Sweepstakes!  Each week during the month of March one lucky winner will be randomly selected to win the At Last Naturals gift set including the entire line of At Last Naturals and much more! Connect with At Last Naturals on Facebook (www.facebook.com/atlastnaturals)!

About two-thirds of regularly menstruating women experience PMS to some degree, with symptoms including insomnia, headaches, food cravings, breast tenderness, etc.   At Last…a way to help….

At Last Naturals® Wild Yam Cream

clip_image001This natural cream is rich in diosgenin, a plant compound derived from wild yam that is structurally similar to those found in the body that can naturally help support women gently and effectively during times of imbalance. This, together with its exceptional moisturizing properties, the Wild Yam Cream assists the body in fighting hot flashes, mood swings and other menopausal, perimenopausal and PMS related issues. Suggested retail price: $16.95

clip_image002Wild Yam Extra Strength Gel

Formulated for women experiencing more bothersome symptoms, such as hot flashes, mood swings and other menopausal, perimenopausal and PMS related issues, the extra strength gel offers a higher concentration of diosgenin (derived from wild yam). At Last Naturals Wild Yam Extra Strength Gel assists the body in fighting more severe symptoms related to menopausal, perimenopausal and PMS. Suggested retail price: $21.00

At Last Naturals® Wild Yam Vaginal Gel

clip_image003The non-irritating, water-based gel formula with Vitamin E provides naturally soothing relief for vaginal dryness and to help restore a women’s natural lubrication. Use every day, during sexual activity or as frequently as needed. Suggested retail price: $8.95

At Last Naturals® Wild Yam Meno-Herbs®

clip_image004An all-herbal tablet formulation containing not only diosgenin, a plant compound derived from wild yam, but also a proprietary blend of key botanicals, such as red clover, dong quai, black cohosh, raspberry, chaste tree berry and other important herbs for women.  It works synergistically to help balance and support the female system. Suggested retail price: $16.00

At Last Naturals® Meno-Herbs2® (with Protykin®)

clip_image005An all-herbal, proprietary tablet formulation made with 10 botanicals, as well as Protykin®, a standardized Trans- RESVERATROL high potency 200:1 extract of Polygonum cuspidatum (root). This powerful antioxidant and cardioprotectant contains 50% phytoestrogens (natural plant estrogens). As a phytoestrogen, Protykin® helps provide natural menopause relief by helping maintain normal estrogen activity, reducing hot flashes, balancing mood swings and promoting healthy bone density. Derived from the root of Polygonum cuspidatum, an herb used in traditional Chinese medicine, Protykin® contains more than 1,000-times the amount of the same antioxidant ingredient in red wine that is believed to promote cardiovascular health and reduce the effects of premature aging. In addition, the formula contains red clover, black cohosh, dong quai, wild yam, raspberry, chaste tree berry and other important herbs for women that work synergistically to help balance and support the female system. This unique, extra-strength herbal combination provides a rich source of isoflavins and natural plant estrogens.  It can be taken alone or as a safe and effective adjunct to the entire At Last Naturals® topical line.Suggested retail price: $24.50

At Last Naturals® Equigest® Progesterone Cream

clip_image006This external cosmetic progesterone cream is applied to specific areas of the body to deliver just the right combination of quality ingredients to help maintain a healthy hormonal balance. At Last Naturals® Equigest® Progesterone Cream contains USP micronized progesterone (the process of micronization allows for steady, even absorption). USP classifies the progesterone as the highest quality available.  It is formulated in a cream base that also contains vitamin E, vitamin A and pure aloe vera. Suggested retail price: $26.00

Always consult your doctor before starting to use any new regimen.

Enter to Win:

· At Last Naturals Wild Yam Cream (2-ounce tube: $17.75)

· At Last Naturals Wild Yam Extra Strength Gel (2-ounce tube: $22.50)

· At Last Naturals Vaginal Gel (5-ounce tube: $9.75)

· At Last Naturals Wild Yam Meno-Herbs® (90 tablets: $17.75)

· At Last Naturals Meno-Herbs2® (with Protykin®) (90 tablets: $26.95)

· At Last Naturals Equigest® Progesterone Cream (2-ounce tube: $26.00)

Total Value $120.00

This giveaway is open to US and Canada

To Enter:

Leave me a comment telling me which product you are most interested in trying.

Extra Entries:

Like At Last Naturals on Facebook

Tweet or RT this post and include the link to the post

At Last Naturals Gift Basket #Giveaway http://bit.ly/gW0zSI Value 120.00 US & Canada Ends 3/14

Subscribe to MomStart
List this giveaway on any giveaway site, dig, stumble, like or share on Facebook (or use any of the share options listed below)
Blog About this Giveaway (10 extra entries, linking to the giveaway)
Follow me on twitter tell me your twitter ID
Follow/Like Mom Start on Facebook
Follow me on Google Friend Connect

This giveaway ends March 14th.  Summer received samples to facilitate this review. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Green Tip: Ditching Plastic Pantiliners

By Summer,

I love to find new ways to go green as it’s a passion of mine and I am thankful to Child’s Play Communications for giving me the opportunity to host a STR!DE Everyday party … my friends and I will be panty partying this Friday. STR!DE (a.k.a. STRIDE or Stride) is underwear with light leak protection built right in. And don’t laugh (if you’re not wearing STRIDE); you might just pee a little.

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Since having my two sons I’ve been working out the most recently as I’ve been doing Lindsay Brin’s 60 Day SlimDown and there are exercises I’d done pre-children that my body just doesn’t react the same to now. So since I seem to leak a little now, I’ve found that STRIDE is an embarrassment saver by being a pants saver. STRIDE can also save you during sneezes, while you’re prenatal, or during your last light days post-natal or of your period.

STRIDE makes underwear from both women and men, so they have your family covered. For men they make boxer briefs and briefs. For women they make bikini, brief, seamless, and thong styles. I’ve worn the bikini (See picture; thought that’s not me modeling them for you!), seamless, and thong as they were given to me in order to host the SRT!DE party.

clip_image005So the GREEN and GREEN of it: STRIDE can $ave you money by eliminating the need to purchase boxes of pantiliners as well as saving the environment as you just wash STRIDE underwear as opposed to throwing away plastic protection. But don’t worry, STRIDE Everyday panties are machine washable. Each wash allows the gusset and panty to thoroughly release any “locked” in moisture for a fresh wear every time. You can also save with FREE shipping on orders over $30 by using the promo code SNEEZE at checkout or you can purchase STRIDE for women in local retail stores.

You can LIKE Child’s Play Communications on Facebook or follow them on Twitter @ChildsPlayFiona. Child’s Play Communications also has a blog you can follow to keep up with Mom Market Trends. You can also follow STR!DE on Twitter @StrideEveryday.

Dream Big Little Pig By Kristi Yamaguchi!

dream bit little pigMy little girl loves to read. She adores reading. She’s 4! Sourcebooks Jabberwocky published Dream Big Little Pig by Kristi Yamaguchi and sent us a copy to review. Zoe made me sit down with her and read it to her. It was time to make dinner, but I sat down and read it to her first. Then I got up to make dinner. After dinner, I read it to her again, then she took the book from me and started reading it to me.

In Dream Big Little Pig we meet Poppy the pig. Now Poppy has great dreams of being a famous pig. She wants to be a star and her mom dad, grandparents and best friend all tell her to dream big and believe in yourself. Poppy finds that her natural talent is not singing or dancing. She’s not graceful enough to be a top super model, but she does have determination to make it big.

dream big little pig

It was on a day out having fun with her family that she realized she wanted to try ice skating. This was something she could learn and work at. She practiced and practiced and everyone was impressed that a pig could skate at all. So everyone she knew was watching her and that made her feel like a star.

Dream Big Little Pig empowers little girls to believe in themselves. Author Yamaguchi’s sage advice, “When things get in the way, keep trying, ” is gold like her.  With my own daughter, I have to constantly remind her that yes she can do things. So now whenever she has doubts, I’m going to get out this book and remind her that yes she can! She just has to try and sometimes work very hard, but she should never stop dreaming and believing. Dream Big Little Pig appeals to girls ages 4 to 8.

 

We received a copy of Dream Big Little Pig to review.

See My Spring Flowers Monday Mingle Vlog

mondaymingleWelcome to Monday Mingle, where we chat over video answering questions. It’s fun and the more video you do on your blog the more comfortable you will be in front of the camera. Want to participate? Monday Mingle is a Meme over at Eighty MPH Mom. Go over to her site, find the questions, take a video of the answers and post them to share. Then visit everyone that linked up and have fun getting to know each other.

Current questions {week of 2/28/11}:

1. Do you have Spring flowers (or any flowers) blooming in your yard right now? Show us!
2. Are you watching American Idol this season? What do you think about the new judges?

3. Tell us something that happened to you last week!

 

1) Yes I have lots of flowers coming up in the yard but I was too lazy to show you them on the video. So you really didn’t miss much if you didn’t watch the video. I do have some planters, and we’re growing some flowers from seeds but we have to wait until the weather warms up some before we transplant them outside.

2) I don’t have cable and we don’t and have never ever watched American Idol. I have watched it while visiting family but it’s not my thing.

3) It snowed last week and my husband pelted me right on the head.

What happened to you last week?

Making Classic Fettuccine Alfredo

We’ve been craving home made Fettuccine Alfredo for a few months now, but I didn’t have a recipe for the Alfredo sauce that I was happy with until I received the KitchenAid Recipe Collections Cookbook. Once I saw their photo and looked at all the ingredients I knew it was worth trying. Making Classic Fettuccine Alfredo is more difficult than it looks. I overcooked my sauce so the cheesy sauce was on the chunkier side instead of creamier side.

fettuccine alfredo

Ingredients:

12 ounces uncooked fettuccine
2/3 cup whipping cream
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
Generous dash of white pepper (black will do find but white makes the sauce look nicer)
Generous dash of nutmeg (this makes the sauce in my opinion)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1) Cook your fettuccine following the directions on the box (be sure to cook it first and set aside so you can focus on the sauce, the sauce is very delicate and hard to get right the first time).

2) Heat up the cream and the butter in a large sauce pan (the KitchenAid recipe book calls it a large heavy skillet) over medium-low heat. Heat until the butter melts and it becomes bubbly, stirring frequently. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in salt, white pepper and nutmeg (it helps to have everything ready and pre-measured). Remove from heat. Gradually stir in cheese until well blended and smooth. Return to heat briefly to completely blend cheese, if necessary. (Do not let it become bubbly after adding the cheese or it will become lumpy and tough and your husband will insist that you didn’t add enough cheese)

3) Pour the sauce over pasta. Cook and stir over low heat 2 to 3 minutes or until sauce thickens and pasta is evenly coated.

 

I may not have gotten the sauce right but it sure did taste really good. I’m going to attempt to make it again, one of my mistakes was the I had asparagus in the oven, and the pasta was done at the same time the sauce was, so the sauce was neglected at a critical time. Ooops, live and learn!

Did I tell you it snowed?

It snowed!

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And I got pelted by my son, and my husband!

Sunday Meals at Grandma’s Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Fresh Green Beans & Mashed Potatoes

I remember going over to my grandmother’s house every Sunday, and if we weren’t at my Granny’s house we went to my sister’s grandmother’s house, Memaw! It may sound confusing, for me to say it that way, but my parents were divorced and remarried so yes I have a complicated family, but we all loved each other and no matter who’s grandmother’s house we were at it was always delicious. Knowing that I have fond memories of that time, helped me to connect with Angie, from Shop Annies, Annies Home. Angie is going to be bringing us meals and memories as a weekly contributor here at Mom Start called Memories at Grandmas.

For her first post: Angie shares a few recipes from grandmas house. We have Buttermilk Friend Chicken, fresh green beans, and home made mashed potatoes with Blackberry Cobbler and Ice Cream for dessert.

fried-chickenHow to make Buttermilk Friend Chicken

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
Buttermilk
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste

Rinse the chicken and pat it dry. Pound each piece slightly between wax paper. Slice in 5 sections on the diagonal. Then put chicken in a bowl and pour buttermilk to cover the chicken. Let sit for an hour to overnight. Heat some vegetable oil until it reaches 335 degrees in a cast iron skillet or Dutch Oven. Fill a large bag with all of the dry ingredients. Place 3 pieces of chicken in the bag and coat with the flour mixture. Drop carefully into the hot pan and fry about 4 minutes on each side. Do not overcrowd the pan. Then drain on crumpled paper towel.

 

green beansHow to cook Fresh Green Beans

1 pound fresh green beans, about 4 cups
1 1/4 cups water
1 saucepan that will fit the beans and water comfortably
Paring knife and cutting board (optional)
Colander

Directions:

Wash the green beans thoroughly, making sure to rinse off all stray leaves and dirt. You can either slice off the ends of each bean, or just break them off. discard the ends. The beans can either be cooked whole, or you can slice them into pieces, depending on your preference.

mashed potatoesHow to make home made mashed potatoes

1 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
3/4 cup low-fat milk
1 1/2 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs. finely chopped chives
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg

Place potatoes in medium pot and cover with 1 inch water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer 8 to 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Drain, and put potatoes through ricer or mash in medium bowl. Heat milk and butter in small saucepan until butter is melted. Stir into potatoes along with chives and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper.

All served with Blackberry Cobbler and ice cream and you can find that recipe and Angie’s full post with her detailed memories at Memories at Grandmas!

50.00 eBay Coupon Code on New Barnes & Noble Nook Color

Are you ready to turn the page digitally? Having a Nook Color has been quite a lot of fun. Monday, Feb 28th you can save 50.00 on the purchase of a new Nook Color, so if you were on the fence, you should check eBay and save they have a coupon code for you!

imageWith eBay’s Daily Deal on Monday, Feb. 28, you can own a brand-new NOOK Color by Barnes & Noble for just $199 (listing price $249 with $50 eBay coupon). With a 7-inch color touchscreen, more than 2 million available titles and built-in WiFi, you’ll find everything you love to read … and much more.

At only $199 with coupon, it’s the lowest price you can find for this personalized, colorful reading experience. And, you get free shipping. But don’t wait – there’s a limited supply.

Visit http://deals.ebay.com/ at 8 a.m. PST on Monday, Feb. 28 to purchase your brand-new NOOK Color by Barnes & Noble. And make your reading come alive!

P.S. For those of you like me who are Android fans, B & N just updated their popular free NOOK for Android app, so customers using Android smartphones and 7-inch tablets can enjoy a new library grid view, wish list feature, download progress meter, and more. (This Spring, they’ll be updating the app for larger 10-inch Android tablets). If you want to learn more about the Android 2.5 Update, click here www.bn.com/nookforandroid, or download the new version from Android Market.

 

This information was supplied to me by eBay, and Fleishman-Hillard on behalf of Barnes and Noble. I have worked with both companies on past campaigns. No current compensation was provided for this recent post.

Robby Wash Laundry Ball Giveaway

You know those products that you think, Where have you been my whole life? Well here the one you’ve really been looking for ROBBY WASH laundry ball which will wash your clothes for 12 months with only one purchase!* If you’ve been following my review post you know I believe in one very basic principle: WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER! So let me tell you, laundry doesn’t get easier than adding a Robby Wash laundry ball to your machine.

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The Robby Wash laundry ball is from France and adheres to their strict European Union standards of being REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of CHemicals) and RoHS (Restriction of [the use of certain] Hazardous Substances) compliant which includes containing no chlorine and no phosphates. In fact this product is used by many needing hypoallergenic and sensitive skin detergent, including washing baby’s laundry. In each wash the ball does the thinking for you, using just the right amount of detergent to remove stains and clean your clothing without having extra soap left in your garments. An additional bonus to the environment is reusing the ball even after a year when you purchasing refill pellets (just recycle the small plastic bag containing the pellets instead of the huge thick plastic bottle of your normal detergent).

clip_image003The Robby Wash laundry ball will wash white, colors, and darks alike. Be sure you get the right ball for your needs: the pink ball is designed for color loads and water temperatures 86oF and cooler, whereas the blue ball is designed for white loads and cool to hot water temperatures. Each ball “starter kit” comes with a pretreatment stick for heavy stains as they recommend not using liquid bleach with their product; those other stain pretreatment products (stick or spray) are suitable, as is fabric softener though the Robby Wash laundry ball has softeners included in their wash ball. No extra detergent is needed, though for optimal use the ball should be full; refill ball when level of maco-molecule pellets is less than 75% full. The ball comes fully loaded with washing pellets and is packages with an additional three packages of refill pellets (and the aforementioned stain stick). VALUE! VALUE! VALUE! Where traditional detergents cost approximately $1 per load, the Robby Wash laundry ball will only cost 25¢ per load when you purchase the starter kit and 21¢ per load when purchasing refill packets thereafter. It’ll do the math for you … you’re paying ¼ the cost of your old detergent per load!!! And how long did your old detergent last you?

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This is one of those things you’ll buy for yourself and then think of all the other people who could really use it too. Like the new mom-to-be, you know how many loads of laundry a baby can create and this gives the new mom one less thing to have to think about. Like your college student, as this will save you the money of continually buying them detergent and they’ll love you for saving them the trouble of having to carry a huge bottle of detergent to the laundry room every time they decide they need clean underwear. Robby Wash makes buying simple as it works with both front and top loading washers.

 

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Check out the green home products company, Oransi which is the only US importer of the Robby Wash laundry ball. The Pink “Fuchsia” ball or Blue ball starter kit – ball, detergent for one year*, and stain stick – for only $32.95. Refills which come in a two year supply cost $49 for either the Pink “Fuchsia” ball and Blue ball or only the Blue ball . As an added bonus, if you order more than $75 on the Oransi site then you can get FREE SHIPPING on your Robby Wash products.

*The claim of 1 year is based on 1 wash cycle every 3 days and at a maximum load weight of 10 pounds or a second ball is required (if you own a standard size washer fitting more than 10 pounds worth of clothing inside could happen with a FULL load of jeans or if you’re in the habit of machine washing your suit of armor but otherwise it’s not going to happen). That 1 year period equates to 120 consecutive washes and up to 265 pounds of laundry.

Disclosure – The product featured in this review was provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or representing PR agency. Opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation.

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.

Enter to Win:
one Robby Wash ball for one winner [U.S. addresses only; no PO Boxes]

To Enter:
go to the Oransi and tell us one product benefit you like about the Robby Wash laundry ball

Extra Entries:

Tweet or RT this post and include the link to the post

Robby Wash Laundry Ball 1 Year Supply Laundry System #Giveaway http://bit.ly/hfxg5S

Subscribe to MomStart
List this giveaway on any giveaway site, dig, stumble, like or share on Facebook (or use any of the share options listed below)
Blog About this Giveaway (10 extra entries, linking to the giveaway)
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This giveaway ends March 14th.  Summer received samples to facilitate this review. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Raisels Raisins with Attitude Giveaway

My kids are just as excited to try new products as I am. Raisels arrived for a product testing and well, the kids had to have one. Raisels are golden raisins grown in South Africa and in the United States, specifically in California, that taste like a box of candy. I’m one of those moms that doesn’t give my kids candy unless I’ve been forced to. Yes I’m super crazy about such things! So when I had the opportunity to give them fruit I said yes and if a picture was worth a 1000 words, there really wouldn’t be any need for this review at all.

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Zoe and Miles both really enjoyed having “candy” and I felt safe and comfortable because they were only getting just over 100 calories, and they were eating fruit with no more sugar than if they were eating dried cranberries. I love that Raisels have 100% of the US recommended Daily allowance for Vitamin C, and are high in antioxidants too! Oh and they do not have any High Fructose Corn Syrup or sodium. Raisels can be purchased at these fine stores in five different flavors: Sour Peach Pucker, Sour Lemon Blast, Sour Apple TKO, Sour Orange Burst, Sour Watermelon Shock.

 

Why should your kids enjoy them?

  • Five fun flavors
  • Powerful Sour Punch
  • Fruit with attitude
  • Like eating Candy
  • Colorful Boxes

Raisels Five Flavors

 

Why should mom enjoy them?

  • 100% US RDA for Vitamin C
  • Rich in Antioxidants
  • Fat Free
  • Cholesterol Free
  • No High Fructose Corn Syrup or Artificial Sweeteners
  • No Sodium
  • Kosher Certified by the Orthodox Union

We received samples of Raisels to facilitate this review from Team Mom on behalf of Raisles.

Enter to Win:

Four packages of Raisels, possible flavors you will receive: Peach, Lemon, Apple and Orange.

To Enter:

Leave me a comment telling me how you satisfy the candy need in your kids?

Extra Entries:

Like Raisels on Facebook
Like Team Mom on Facebook
Follow Raisels on Twitter

Tweet or RT this post and include the link to the post

Raisels Raisins with Attitude #Giveaway http://bit.ly/eIdtMV

Subscribe to my blog
List this giveaway on any giveaway site, dig, stumble, like or share on Facebook (or use any of the share options listed below)
Blog About this Giveaway (10 extra entries, linking to the giveaway)
Follow me on twitter tell me your twitter ID
Follow/Like Mom Start on Facebook
Follow me on Google Friend Connect

This giveaway ends March 14th.  I received samples to facilitate this review. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.