Hello Beautiful CalNaturale Svelte Energy Protein Drinks

Getting yourself healthier is as easy as watching what you eat; which I will add, I’m not good at! I love to eat what I want so it’s great that CalNaturale Svelte offers flavors you’d crave like spiced chai, French vanilla, cappuccino, and chocolate. Chilling them is just like thick milk or a thin shake.

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I’ve been hearing some talk about drinking chocolate milk after a workout. Svelte wants to do you one better with their “Hello Beautiful” chocolate flavor. Svelte is better because it offers the protein your body needs to feel full and rebuild after a workout. This protein will also satisfy your in-between meal cravings too.

My favorite (as you can imagine and may have noticed) is the chocolate! Though, I have started taking my drinks less sweet. I stopped drink soda in December 2010, I make my own sweet tea but have been playing with the sugar levels, and I order my Starbucks beverages with ½ the syrups. Sure these are small steps, but I notice they make a difference when I find myself thinking something is too sugary. For CalNaturale’s Svelte I found myself cutting the drink by adding milk. I did however use ½ the Svelte Spiced Chai in my Marshmallow Cookie Recipe instead of plain milk; I wanted to experiment using it in baking and my opinion is the outcome was quite nice.

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Svelte is certified organic, dairy-free, gluten-free, and low on the glycemic index. I love that my drink not only makes me feel good inside and helps me look better in the outside, but my Svelte also has something nice to say each time I take a drink; I told you about my chocolate Hello Beautiful, but you can also find Enjoy Yourself, Looking Good, and Just Your Style.

And though I’m not low on vocabulary, I didn’t know svelte was a read word and not just a label. I can’t be the only one out there. So if all else fails, you have a new Scrabble word; an adjective meaning slim, graceful and slender in figure or contour. That’ll keep CalNaturale’s Svelte on the brain!

You can visit Svelte on their on their site, Svelte Facebook page, and on Twitter @CalNaturale. You can find Svelte in your grocery’s natural foods section or online.

We received samples for this post.

About Summer:

Summer is very active in 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.

Rekindle the Disney Magic Lion King 3D #LionKing3D

Do you know how to rekindle the magic? Disney does! I have fallen in love with Lion King all over again with The Lion King 3D coming to theaters for a limited two week engagement starting September 16. I was on the edge of my seat watching in wonderment as my favorite characters came to life again, after 17 years in the Disney vault.

We own The Lion King on DVD but there is something so nostalgic, loved and magical about the theater. This release of The Lion King 3D had me with goose bumps, sighing, gasping, and yes, crying in all the right places. As if this was my first time ever seeing Simba’s coming of age story, as a lion cub framed for the murder of his father.

It is amazing the megapixel technology the Walt Disney Animation Studio used to make The Lion King’s best loved and hated characters pop off the screen. Robert Neuman is the Stereoscopic Supervisor who determined the mark-ups from the original Lion King to create The Lion King 3D.

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If you’re like me, you want to know how they did it. The truth is I don’t fully understand it, but the simplest explanation is there are three components to a hand drawn cartoon — the background, the scenery, and the characters. To create a 3D version the Stereo Artists shifted each component’s view separately to the right or left before joining the film together again making what was 2D into 3D Cinematography; that’s what the pluses and minuses you see above on the mark-up of Scar are all about. They do all of this while maintaining maximum viewing comfort and preserving the quality of the original film.

Here is the team you have to applaud for the new look of The Lion King:

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You simply have to see The Lion King 3D in the theaters (maybe even more than once). Your children will ask and you’ll want to anyway, I promise! But there is a LIMITED TWO WEEK time frame to catch The Lion King 3D in the theaters starting September 16; check your local listings for availability.

However, when The Lion King 3D out of the theaters you’re not completely out of luck. Disney is letting you take home this vaulted classic on October 4, 2011 with a 4-disc Diamond Edition DVD combo pack – 3D, BluRay, DVD, and digital copy – rumor has it there is a 5th disc included with bonus features too. You can preorder from Amazon for only $30 with delivery on the day of release with two-day shipping. To view The Lion King in 3D in your own home you must have a 3D player, 3D television, and 3D glasses for all viewers; to view the BluRay version you must own a BluRay player.

Enjoy both releases because as you know The Lion King will return to the Disney vault again before you know it.

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About Summer:

Summer is very active in 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.

Behind the Scenes of Real Steel Fun Movie Facts

An awesome movie is coming out in October and I’m super excited about it. Why, well the number one reason why you have to see this movie is why. Hugh Jackman is the star. Uhh yeah that’s reason enough right there. Just in case that’s not reason enough to see this sure to be smash hit, then DreamWorks has a few more fun facts about the movie to get you interested, even their number one reason is Hugh Jackman, (ok I switched the order to suit my own needs but it’s on their list too!)

Real Steel Movie Poster

“Real Steel” stars Hugh Jackman (“X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” “The Prestige”) as Charlie Kenton, a financially strapped, risk-taking former boxer who now makes his living on an underworld robot boxing circuit, operating the metal pugilists that made his human profession obsolete.

Hugh Jackman in REAL STEEL_JPG

“Real Steel” is set in the near future, where robots have replaced boxers in the ring, and is directed by Shawn Levy (“Night at the Museum,” “Date Night”).

Shawn Levy and Hugh Jackman on the set of REAL STEEL_JPG

The robots each have a distinctive look, personality and color scheme and range in size from 7’6” to 8’5” in height. Based on human form, they each have two legs, two arms, a torso and a head—with the exception of a two-headed bot aptly named “Twin Cities.”

In addition to their distinctive personas, every robot has a specific sound personality. When a robot lands a punch there’s a sound specific to his skeletal material, his mechanisms, his bulk and his mass and there’s also an aura sound so that just merely by being turned on every robot has a whir or a whoosh or an engine hum or the sound or a computer.

Evangeline Lilly (“Lost”), who plays Bailey, never saw herself making a boxing film, but when she read the heartfelt script she was won over.REAL STEEL Evangeline Lilly

Toronto-native Dakota Goyo was chosen from thousands of 10-year-old boys who auditioned for the role of Max, Hugh Jackman’s on-screen son, as part of an international casting search.

REAL STEEL Dakota Goyo

Filming the robot boxing scenes was done with both motion-capture technology and practical-built, full-scale robots. The motion-capture elements were performed and shot months earlier on a stage in Los Angeles. Fighters were put in the ring wearing data-capturing jumpsuits and as they fought, their motions were converted into robot avatars in the computer and instantaneously appeared on the monitors on set. Then, during principal photography, the filmmakers lined up their cameras on an empty ring and the motion-capture data streamed through their cameras, allowing them to watch and frame the robot fighting in the ring in real time.

Real Steel Robots Fighting

Sugar Ray Leonard was hired by the filmmakers to serve as the film’s boxing consultant and to train Hugh Jackman for his appearance in the ring.

“Real Steel” costume designer Marlene Stewart created a wardrobe for Hugh Jackman’s character Charlie that was inspired by looks from the 1960s, drawing from rugged Americana styles. Even his sunglasses are retro.REAL STEEL

In “Real Steel” there is a clear delineation between the two worlds of robot boxing. There is the official league (the WRB); it’s corporate sponsored, with big money, sanctioned venues and strict rules. Then there is the underworld, which has unsanctioned venues, with no rules, no restrictions—the robots fight to the death.

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Three Little Dots "mini-me" Matching Outfits Wordless Wednesday

 

So This week is a no-so-wordless Wednesday, as Zoe and I are going to put on a little fashion show for you all. IMG_3472

I always say that I wish we could wear the same clothes. Now we have the same stylish dress, but she has the cooler boots. Don’t you think?

And of course we couldn’t be smiling at the same time

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Our mini-me clothing is inspired by looks from the latest magazines where actress and daughter are dressed alike. Well, thanks to Three Little Dots and Three Dots, we can have the same look as Katie Holmes & Suri, J. Lo & Emme, Jessica Alba & Honor.

Three Little Dots & Three Dots apparel is designed to be more than just fashion collections – they’re a lifestyle. Both offer simple & classic All-American styles that never go out of fashion, as well as top-quality, durable fabrics that last forever. In fact, Three Little Dots is a brand that lets kids go out to play all day, and still look cute, fashionable and clean for dinner.

As the “mini-me” trend takes over the catwalks and walk-in closets across the country, Zappos.com has successfully influenced the Three Dots brand, known for its perfect fit, top quality, and great design–and a favorite of Hollywood trendsetters and New York hipsters–to design a little girls fashion collection, Three Little Dots, sold exclusively on Zappos.com.

Now I know that was QUITE Wordy for Wordless Wednesday but I couldn’t help but put on a mother daughter fashion show for you guys.

Eureka The Jeans are Dry! #Whirlpoolmoms

I’m really really loving the Whirlpool Duet Washer and Dryer. As you may know, this month I changed out my old washer and dryer for a new Whirlpool Duet Washer and Dryer. My husband and I both quickly fell in love with them. They wash and dry our clothes quite well. You can read my love letters to our new appliances but I felt that I didn’t give the dryer enough love. Here’s why…

I was out of town and didn’t really get the chance to put the dryer to the test until now.

JEANS!!!

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We’ve had quite a few issues getting jeans dry. Our older dryer it would take us three tries to get the jeans dry. Yes you read that correctly, three tries. I would get tired of drying them and pull them out early and then my husband would tell me that his jeans were dirty. And I’d get upset because I just washed them. Well if they are damp at all when I hang them up, my husband can smell that.

The Whirlpool Duet DRIED them first try!

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I washed and dried 7 pairs of jeans and loved that they were dry. Which setting did I use? I used the jean setting as is. I didn’t change any of the preset settings on the jeans dryer cycle.

It’s almost been a full month and we still the Whirlpool Duet Washer & Dryer very much.

 

I wrote this review while participating in a test-drive campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Whirlpool and received a complimentary Whirlpool Duet washer and dryer to facilitate my review

Jimmy Dean 52 Ways to Deliver Great Days $250.00 Target Gift Card Giveaway

I just entered a really fun giveaway and I wanted to share it with you. Jimmy Dean is hosting a fun campaign and I couldn’t resist entering myself. They are currently taking entries on the  Jimmy Dean Facebook page for a sweepstake called “52 Ways to Deliver Great Days,” where each week for the next year they are giving away great prizes (this week is a set of $250.00 Gift Card to Target).

Here is my entry so you can see just how easy it is to enter.

The video is super short. All it says is how I get my kids ready. They need a good night sleep, excitement from mommy and a good breakfast to start the day. You can also just enter by leaving a Facebook text message or uploading a photo. Answer the weekly question via a text entry (1 sweeps entry), photo (5 sweeps entries) or video (10 sweeps entries) for a chance to win. I can’t wait to see what they are giving away next week.

Oh and Entries are low so chances are high. Go Enter!

Liven Up Your Water, Activate It: Activate Antioxidant Performance Beverage

I have a couple extra pounds to lose … okay maybe it’s about 20, but I get so board of the usual! I run and I walk and have tried “normal” methods of working out, but I love to spice it up sparing my friends at kickboxing (which is not so rare nowadays), pole dancing, high ropes courses, African dance, and trapeze.

clip_image002For my fitness needs, I also like to find changes to my usual bottle of water. Activate brings you a new way to drink. Before you even open the bottle your experience begins with a twist of the colored top which releases vitamins. This system offers a unique and fresh way to activate your water and make it work for you.

Activate Antioxidant is a performance beverage with only 5 calories per 16 fluid ounce bottle. The antioxidants in the blueberry pomegranate flavor include Tea Polyphenols (48mg), Tea Catechins (35mg), Açaí Extract (24mg), EGCG (20mg), and Aloe Vera Extract (12mg). There are no preservatives. There is also no sugar; Activate is naturally sweetened with Stevia. What you will find inside Activate (Blueberry Pomegranate variety):
Water, Maltodextrin, Citric Acid, Natural Flavor, Malic Acid, Stevia reboudiana Leaf Extract, Fruit Juice (color), Green Tea Extract, Açaí (Euterpe aleracea), Berry Extractive, White Tea Extract, Aloe Vera Leaf Extractive, Coenzyme Q-10, Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) Extract.

I found the hint of flavor refreshing and not to over powering. The Stevia, which I haven’t knowing had, offers a hint of sweetness. My only problem is a reading problem; it took me 5 minute to figure out how to open the bottle because I was expecting a sip top not an open bottle top, but by simply reading or even look at the bottle and I would’ve know what to do – they offer a picture and text.clip_image004

clip_image006 Activate is a “turn for the better”. For you, the bottle is made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic and is BPA-free. For others, when you buy a bottle of Activate a portion of the proceeds will be donated to help support expecting moms-in-need through Nourish America.

You can keep up with Activate on their Facebook page and on Twitter @ACTIVATEdrinks. Find Activate in a store near you and get your own Activate coupon before you head out.

About Summer:

Summer is very active in 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.

Plan A Road Trip And All Stops Along the Way Microsoft Streets & Trips

My husband and I went on a road trip a few years ago. Oh wow we’ve been married almost 10 years now so it was more than a few years ago, it was quite a few years ago. ANAYWAYS Along the way, we used Microsoft Streets and Trips. We were able to pull up restroom stops, restaurants, rest areas. You name it we could find it. We planned on going from our house to California seeing all the sites on our way to Disneyland.

streets & Trips box artYou know when you’re on the road and you decide that you need a bathroom break, well for women, little girls and expecting moms, yes female of any shape or size, it’s impossible to predict when we are going to need that bathroom break. So, while my husband was driving I could pick my bathroom by what place I wanted to stop at. I prefer going into a fast food bathroom verses a rest stop or a gas station bathroom. With Microsoft Streets & Trips finding my stop on the map was so simple. Need more help planning your trip, check out these Tips & Tricks from the Streets.

With years of experience making Streets & Trips, Microsoft keeps the maps updated and now even has a version of Streets & Trips with GPS locator. Microsoft Streets & Trips helps you generate maps and directions, tailor your route, and find interesting stops along the way—no Internet required. Get lost in the adventure, not trying to find it.

  • Simple to use—Use Streets & Trips to plan the perfect trip, including multiple stops, points of interest (POI), and start and stop times.
  • Save planning time—Tailor your trips by start and stop times, driving speeds, and road types to avoid highways, or to choose a more scenic route. Include multiple destinations and stops to rest and refuel. View the quickest routes with one-click trip optimization.
  • Find more fun—Select from over 1.9 million POI including campgrounds, state and national parks, gas stations, landmarks, casinos, and much more. Add POI collections such as low clearance, big rig friendly fuel stations, Walmart stores, or the best barbecue stops.
  • Be flexible—Change your plan at any time—no Internet required.
  • Personalize your maps—Add notes for planned stops, reservation details, phone numbers, and more.
  • Great GPS companion—Use Streets & Trips to plan your adventure and then share the route with your GPS device for navigation along the way.2
  • Turn your laptop into a navigation device—Connect your GPS receiver to your laptop to get spoken directions including street names, automatic re-routing, and large on-screen directions.2 Need a GPS device? Streets & Trips with GPS Locator is a great value at a great price.
  • See what you want—Streets & Trips includes more than 300 unique pushpin images to choose from. Show or hide your pushpin collections and easily delete visible pushpins inside or outside an area.
  • Avoid surprises and delays—Download free construction updates and easily drag-and-drop your route to bypass delays.
    So plan your next trip as you go with Microsoft’s Streets & Trips

This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to the winner, Royalegacy.

All rules can be found under giveaway rules. We received a copy to facilitate the review.

Parents Get Organized With Windows Phone Samsung Focus (AT&T)

I love my Windows Phone, in fact, I had the opportunity to upgrade to a 4G phone but the phone wasn’t a Windows phone, it was a droid, so I gave it to my husband. I have the HTC Trophy and just love how I can pin the apps I love to use on my start page of my phone. I have my favorite Facebook friends and pinned, along with my twitter app, outlook, and calendar. It’s also so easy to move apps whenever I feel like life needs a reorg. HTC7_Trophy_lg

With kids going back to school and after school activities being juggled with work and the PTA, parents need all the help they can get. I know I do, I need everything on a list and that list needs to be on my device. Well, as they say there’s an app for that and Windows Phone is there for you with a line up of apps to save the day.

OneNote is the ultimate note taking tool on your phone that syncs to your PC. It lets you attach pictures and even voice notes, so you never miss a beat. Then, pin important notes to your Start Screen for easy on-the-go access.  Not only will you be organized with a calendar and email, but shopping is made easier too with these apps.

Best Buy: The Best Buy app for Windows Phone provides a fresh new way to shop for the latest and greatest technology. Browse the full product catalog, compare price specs and create your technology wish list. You’ll be sure to make the best tech choice this back to school season!

moBudget: Take advantage of this user friendly budgeting and expense tracking app that helps you organize your personal income. There are a lot of purchases made for the back to school season and moBudget app helps you stay within your budget.

ShopSavvy: With the latest and greatest in barcode scanning mobile technology, you will be sure to snag the best price for your kid’s must have back to school outfit. Don’t spend all day driving around to other stores, simply use the camera to take a picture of any barcode and ShopSavvy will provide you with a list of online and local prices.

Amazon Shopping: Avoid the lines at the bookstore by using the Amazon Shopping app for Windows Phone. You can quickly search, shop, compare prices, read reviews and purchase all the necessary books for your kid’s first day back at school.

Evernote: Evernote is the ultimate life organizer and a must have app to get everything done in time for the school year without missing a beat. You can store notes, snapshots and even recordings with the Evernote app – and it even instantly syncs from the phone to the web to your PC.

CleverToDo: This handy task management app based on David Allen’s “Get Things Done” methodology helps you stay productive on-the-go.

iRewardChart: Trying to get your kid back the school mindset by finishing up their summer reading? Utilize this handy app that makes it easy to reward your kids for good behavior and keep them motivated to start the school year off right!

Now you may think that your carrier doesn’t support Windows Phone, well think again. Windows Phones are available on every major US carrier with many different phones to choose from. So you can get the touchscreen you want while sticking with your family plan.

This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to the winner, Cathy W.

All rules can be found under giveaway rules. We received free samples in the past.

How Do You Prepare Your Child For Preschool? KinderCare #PreschoolPrep

One down another one to go, that’s me of course. Zoe went to preschool last year and Miles will be going this year. Boys verses girls, first verses second, I’d say this year it’s going to be a breeze but my son is always able to surprise me at that last second with a total freak out of the third kind. But like I said, we did do this with one child already. My kids are in preschool as young as age 3 because they are little sponges. All little children are sponges that absorb everything you throw at them at this age. But anxiety can be hard for mom and child on their first day.

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Zoe has always been quite attached to me and I was terrified of leaving her on her first day, but she was so excited to go she didn’t even want to give me a hug good by on her first day. BYE MOM! That’s all I got, maybe it’s because we spent all summer hyping her up.

So my first tip would be to get your child extremely excited about going to school. Pick out a stellar backpack, get a folder, a pencil, no they don’t need these things but it gets them really excited about going to school.

Make sure you go to the open house and meet the teacher. The more comfortable the kids feel in their classroom before you have to leave them there alone the better. I was really lucky last year because our neighbor was Zoe’s teacher so she was already in a familiar setting, but that didn’t mean that every day went smoothly.

Even if that first day goes well, be prepared for the DON’T LEAVE ME MOM meltdown on another day down the road. I actually had a few of those. On those days, I think Zoe was tired. Make sure your kids get a good night’s sleep on school nights. Sleep is so important to having a good day at school. So is a really good healthy breakfast.

zoe first day of school

Leaving Zoe on days where she was really clingy was hard. Sometimes I just left her crying, other times I gave her another hug and her teachers gave her a hug and then I snuck away. Other times, I tried to help her get into an activity like coloring. Then when she was busy I snuck away. They may be crying but once your gone they usually get over it quickly. Zoe was always fine within minutes after I left.

How have I prepared Miles?

He has an awesome backpack…. check

We’ve been hyping it up all summer….. check

We’re going to meet his teacher next week….check

My biggest concern is going to be when he realizes, Zoe isn’t in his class, and mommy isn’t staying. I’m a bit concerned but at the same time, I know he’s going to be fine. I think for him, if I don’t make a scene he won’t make a scene. If I just drop him off, give him a hug and a kiss, he’ll get right to play time. Of course, the worst part is going to be when I get home to an empty house. I’m not entirely sure how to deal with that.

I’m curious to know: What advice do you have for moms prepping for preschool? KinderCare will choose one lucky participant and make donation in their name to the Reach Out And Read chapter of their choice!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of KinderCare. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Contest Rules.