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Real Deal Red Baron Pizza Challenge Giveaway

July 10, 2011 By 517 Comments

Red Baron and Howie Mandel teamed up for a new online video series to pit delivery pizza and Red Baron head-to-head to show Americans which pan pizza option is the “Real Deal” when it comes to quality, taste and convenience.

 

In my area (outside of Seattle), I couldn’t find the Red Baron Deep Dish Pizza … yet. So I bought another of pizza from their line. I wasn’t impressed, but it was a night off. It took 17 minutes, so it really wasn’t faster than an at-home meal and it definitely wasn’t as healthy. Eating the pizza I was taken back to being 16YO and babysitting when the parents would just leave me with a pizza to “cook”. For the price it was sufficient, but we enjoy Papa John’s or our local MOD (Made On Demand, all pizza, no matter what’s on them for only $7 a pie) pizza better. Before I sound too harsh, let me say my husband did like it. I moved the toppings around to better suit us both, peperoni for him, and olives and mushrooms for me with other toppings throughout.

Red Baron Pizza in the oven

Do you need a MNO! Mom’s Night Out? Mom’s Night Off? Mom’s Not Obligated … to make you dinner every night! So then what? Red Baron Pizza is an easy go-to right out of your freezer, and cheaper than the service charge for delivery.

What to try it for yourself and tell Mom Start what you think? Five (5) Mom Start readers will receive one coupon to try Red Baron Pan Pizza for yourself. You’ll also get:

· Red Baron pizza cutter
· Red Baron plates and napkins
· Red Baron oven mitt and
· Red Baron pizza knife

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If you don’t win on Mom Start, you’re still a winner. Find the Red Baron Deep Dish Pizza in your area, try it and if you don’t like it then it’s FREE. Check out the Red Baron website for details. You can also find out more and watch other videos on the Red Baron’s Facebook page.

This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to the winners, Ruth Hill, Susan C, Melinda (Mendy) Dinsmore, Denise B., and angie.

We received samples to facilitate this review opinions are our own.

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 while cooking up a storm.

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What Will You Watch Friday July 15th Harry Potter or Winnie The Pooh?

July 10, 2011 By 3 Comments

The final chapter of Harry Potter comes out the same day as a new chapter for Winnie the Pooh. So the question is will you be going to watch Harry Potter or Winnie the Pooh this Friday?

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I’m a huge Harry Potter fan and am truly excited to see the final movie, but I’ll be waiting until it comes out on DVD. We just don’t go to the movies anymore without the kids. I’m not going to try and talk you out of going to see Harry Potter. I’m not crazy, heck, if baby sitters were cheaper, parking was free, and popcorn was a dollar maybe I would go see Harry Potter myself. But it’s not and it’s much easier to take everyone to see Winnie the Pooh. But maybe, just maybe you could find a little bit of Harry Potter in Pooh?

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Disney knows what they’re up against, so much so that they put Winnie the Pooh in his own final battle.

 

My advice, avoid the long lines to see Harry Potter, wait until it hits redbox or onDemand and just watch Winnie the Pooh this weekend. I’ve seen it and I loved it. It’s super cute, and you might even learn how to spell something.

Filed Under: Announcement Tagged With: , ,

Wanna Get SCREW*D?

July 9, 2011 By 5 Comments

Wow, you might be thinking, isn’t she a mommy blogger, I thought I was safe going to her site. I know, I know what you might be thinking…

I visited with Craftsman a few weeks ago, I was terrified of power tools before I went to the Craftsman Experience in Chicago. TERRIFIED. I had no idea how to use a band saw and then I made a sword. Now I’m not afraid and I want others to face their fear. Do not fear the power tool, Get SCREW*D.

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Craftsman Tools is looking for a reality star for a new online series: SCREW*D: Where Survival Comes Down to the Right Tools.  If you’re like me, of course, I’m not sure that I qualify anymore having had a few power tool lessons under my best.. The chosen person will make $50,000 — in just three months – not bad in this economy – not bad in any economy. It’s down right awesome if you ask me. As far as reality TV shows go I think this one is going to be pretty good!

 

Entries were taken on-line and in person (in Chicago at the Craftsman Experience and LA). Soon they are going to open it up to a vote. The chosen individual will undergo boot camp training sessions and is THEN taken on a series of extreme, high risk, survival challenges with only brand’s online community to guide him or her along the way.   The adventure will be chronicled on www.craftsmanscrewd.com beginning August 14.  Voting will begin July 20th.

Filed Under: Announcement, personal Tagged With: , , , ,

Curry Maple & Apple Sandwich Recipe

July 9, 2011 By 4 Comments

Summer time means more sandwiches for us. We eat more sandwiches than we do anything else. I’m planning on having them for lunch and dinner the whole week the kids are in summer camp. It’s just easier for me since I’m going to be a volunteer at camp. Yes, I have control issues about who is taking care of my kids but that’s beside the point. I figured I’d share another recipe that I received from Arnold/Brownberry/Oroweat. So here is the Curry Mayo and Apple sandwich recipe by Lauren Wood.

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Curry Mayo and Apple

Ingredients

· 2 slices Arnold/Brownberry/Oroweat Nutty Grain Health-full Bread
· Smoked turkey
· Sprouts
· Curry mayonnaise (mix curry to taste)
· 1 small apple, thinly sliced
· 1 avocado, thinly sliced 

Directions

Spread curry mayonnaise on one slice of bread. Layer remaining ingredients between the slices of bread.

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

I Want Me Some Honey Nut Cheerios, America’s Favorite Cereal Giveaway

July 9, 2011 By 433 Comments

 

It just so happens that one of my favorite cereals was recently voted America’s favorite cereal*. I love Honey Nut Cheerios, ok I love a lot of stuff, but I do really enjoy a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios. I think they are just the right sweetness and they take a little bit longer to get soggy than most cereal. You see, when I eat cereal it’s a race against the milk. I hate soggy cereal, so I don’t eat very many kinds of cereal. But I do enjoy Honey Nut Cheerios.

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As a special thanks for making Honey Nut Cheerios® cereal America´s #1 choice, they are hosting a "Billion ‘O’ Giveaway" providing free samples of Honey Nut Cheerios® cereal to fans beginning July 4, 2011, available while supplies last. I just checked to see if the offer is still up and it is, you get a sample now, even though I think they were giving away full size boxes. But you also get a coupon for .75 cents off a box of Honey Nut Cheerios which is a good coupons. So zip on over to www.FavCereal.com for your sweet sample.

It´s a celebration Honey Nut Cheerios® plans to keep going all summer long. So start your day with a touch of honey sweetness and heart-healthy whole grain oats – grab a spoon and let´s enjoy this moment together. You can even showcase your colony´s love for America´s Favorite Cereal by throwing a buzz-tastic breakfast bash for your family with Honey Nut Cheerios®. Thanks a BILLION for your support!

*Based on Nielsen sales data, 52 weeks ending 1/1/2011.

honey nut cheerios prize pack

This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to the winner, Michelle C.

We received samples to facilitate this review.

 

MyBlogSpark provided samples on behalf of General Mills and is also providing the prize package. All opinions are my own.

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With: , , ,

Whole Grain Vegetable Sandwich Recipe

July 8, 2011 By 3 Comments

As an ambassador for Arnold/Brownberry/Oroweat, I wanted to share with you a new product that’s perfect for creating a healthy summer sandwich. Just in time for summer, comes new Arnold/Brownberry/Oroweat Nutty Grain Health-full Bread. This not-quite-diet bread has big, bold nutty flavor that will help your readers keep their bodies bathing suit-ready without sacrificing on size or taste. Typical diet breads are 40- to 50-calories a slice and half the size of regular bread. Health-full is 80 calories a slice, yet the same size as regular bread – which in general is 110 to 120 calories a slice!  And more, Nutty Grain is an excellent source of fiber, has 8g of whole grain per slice and 5g of protein to help satisfy your hunger.

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Ingredients

· 4 slices Arnold/Brownberry/Oroweat Nutty Grain Health-full Bread
· 1 avocado, mashed
· 1 tomato, sliced
· 1 small cucumber, sliced
· 1/4 c. Spanish onion, thinly sliced
· 2 tsp. light mayonnaise
· Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Serving size: 2 sandwiches

Directions

Evenly spread the mashed avocado on two slices of bread and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread one teaspoon mayonnaise on each of the remaining two slices of bread. Add the tomato, cucumber and onion to make two sandwiches. Serve immediately.

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Giveaway Jingle Link Up Your Giveaway Here

July 7, 2011 By 5 Comments

You’ve got a giveaway, I want to know about it! Oh, and if you list your giveaway on Mom Start Facebook page then I will try to remember to tweet it out to all of my twitter followers. If you could link directly to the giveaway you want me to tweet that would be very helpful. At 9500 followers and growing all the time! Cool? I hope so!

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I’ve got a few giveaways you might want to check out too!

Filed Under: linky Tagged With: , ,

Guest Post: Getting Organized at Home Could Mean Better Things At Work

July 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

We often wish to live our lives as a dichotomy between work and home. It’s often said that the two should remain separate and there’s countless columns of advice online as to how to avoid one from affecting the other. To this I ask: why are we so obsessed with separating ourselves and our lives into different pieces? The last time I checked, I was who I was at home when I went to work, and vice versa.

Home life affects productivity, and office politics influences the way we behave at home. While I can’t offer advice on how to combat the more complicated of these dilemmas, I can say that as far as home life helping the office mentality, nothing beats getting your household organized.

Problem: Overwhelmed

Woman overwhelmed

photo from 123rf.com

Experts call it "analysis paralysis" but simply put when we have too many problems to solve we end up not solving any of them. If you depart for work every morning from a house plagued with clutter and in need of some fixing up, that stuff stays with you when you sit down at your desk. Whether you directly think about it or not, major household concerns take up the space in your head that could be used for doing your job better. It might seem instinctive to try and fix your work routine with work-related changes in the way you function, but you should definitely look at home first.

Solution: Inspiration through Organization

Taking the time to collect your clutter and rent a self storage unit to throw it all in, or even just going out and buying boxes to store stuff in to put into the basement, can clear some space in your head as well as in your home. Waking up to a home you’re proud of, even if all it takes is a new paint job in the bedroom or kitchen, can generate mounds of positive energy you’ll use up later when you go to work.

It’s not just about clearing your head of household worry – if you create a home environment you’re proud of and look forward to seeing and maintaining, it’ll make you a more ardent worker. You’ll be happier because you’ll have something to work for and something to deeply appreciate. When you first bought your home, surely you expected to be proud of it. That pride, especially on the tail end of hard work, leads to positive attitude and a better life experience as whole.

Filed Under: Announcement Tagged With: , , ,

10 Funny Marketing, Survey & Stat Quotes

July 7, 2011 By 8 Comments

Being a business entity I have to look at the best ways to market myself to others. Do I want to use an email marketing software to organize all of my contacts, develop successful campaigns and monitor the results?  I check out survey sites, and see so many sites out there asking you to take their online survey. I often wonder what they are using the stats for and how they are going to make those stats illustrate what they need them to. I consider what my online conversion rate is and how I’m engaging you guys to buy products. I even wonder how effective it is for me to show you stats that companies give me when I’m posting their campaigns. I’ve always believed that stats are made up anyway. Even taking a stats course in college, we learned there is a point where you throw out all the extreme responses anyways.

So since I’m a believer that stats are all over the map and I’m  in need of some humor (figuring out what to do with my blog has me bummed),  I thought it would be fun to look at some funny quotes about stats, surveys and marketing.

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My favorite quote of course is the very first one on the list:

“98 % of all stats are made up” – Author Unknown

“Statistics can me made to prove anything – even the truth” – Author Unknown

“The great danger of conversion in all ages has been that when the religion of the high mind is offered to the lower mind, the lower mind, feeling it’s fascination without understanding it, and being incapable of rising to it, drags it down to its level by degrading it.” – George Bernard Shaw

“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics” – Mark Twain

“Let advertisers spend the same amount f money improving their product that they do on advertising and they wouldn’t have to advertise it.” – Will Rogers

“Often statistics are used as a drunken man uses lamp posts…for support rather than illumination” – Author Unknown

“Do not put your faith in what statistics say until you have carefully considered what they do not say” – William W. Watt

“There are two kinds of statistics, the kind you look up and the kind you make up.” – Rex Stout, Death of a Doxy.

“What is the difference between unethical and ethical advertising? Unethical advertising uses falsehoods to deceive the public; ethical advertising uses truth to deceive the public.” – Vilhjalmur Stefansson

“It used to be that people needed products to survive. Now products need people to survive.” – Nicholas Johnson.

 

 

Quotes were found at Quote Garden, Your Famous Quotes, and Comedy Zone.

 

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Filed Under: personal, Top Ten Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Grill of Your Dreams Sweepstakes $2000 Gift Card Giveaway

July 7, 2011 By 2 Comments

Holland House is announcing their summer sweepstakes called "Grill of Your Dreams". One lucky winner will take home a gift card valued at $2000.00. Which could be used to purchase a brand new grill, the grill that will be the answer to all your grilling needs this summer. We could use a grill, we don’t have one right now. So all of our cooking is done inside and I just use my pots, pans and ovens. I can just imagine what fun I would have grilling outside. Once, in college, we purchased one of those really small charcoal grills. My roommate grilled tomatoes on it and then used those grilled tomatoes to make the best salsa I’ve ever eaten.

What’s the best thing you’ve ever made on the grill?

HHOU-Grill_FBimageTo enter the "Grill of Your Dreams" giveaway go over to the Holland House Facebook page and click on Sweepstakes tab or just click on Grill of Your Dreams and let Holland House help you add a dash of excitement to your summer grilling. You’ll have to fill out a simple form (Limit one (1) Sweepstakes entry and one (1) Instant Win Game play per person/email address.) And the winner will be chosen at random.

Drawing will be conducted on or about August 15, 2011, by an independent judging organization, whose decisions shall be final and binding on all matters relating to the Promotion. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received.

One (1) Grand Prize: a $2,000 Visa® Gift Card, which may be used to purchase a new grill.

Gift card is subject to the terms and conditions set by the issuer. Visa is a registered trademark of Visa. Visa is not affiliated, associated or otherwise connected with the Sponsor or with this Promotion. For full set of rules.

 

This is a sponsored post as part of the Holland House/Mizkan blogger program.

Filed Under: Announcement Tagged With: , , , ,
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