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Pampers Cruisers "30 Days of Play " Let’s Rock Elmo #PampersCruisers

October 6, 2011 By 702 Comments

I have two really great things that I get to combine for you today. One, I was at the Time To Play Holiday Toy Showcase in New York last week and had an amazing time checking out all of the top toys for this Holiday Season and even though, Hasbro’s new Let’s Rock! Elmo didn’t make the top Time To Play List let me tell you he’s going to be a popular toy this year.

 Hasbro Holiday Toys

Another really cool game that I have to mention but has nothing really to do with this post and it’s prize is the Logo game, because one of the BEST LOGOs is in the game. It’s just cool, cause it says Pampers!

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Now onto the second part, as you may likely know, I’m a Pampers Brand Ambassador and I love their diapers. So much so that I switched from using Huggies, and I used Huggies for years. Pampers continues to make improvements and they recently improved Pampers Cruisers with 3-Way Fit. These diapers are currently rolling out on shelves. Now, because they are always looking to improve the product experience they wanted to produce diapers that allow babies to play at their best. The three-way fit adapts to  little waists, legs and bottoms. The Pampers Cruisers with 3-Way Fit have been enhanced with a longer absorbent area and new soft quilted backsheet, like their Swaddlers diapers.

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But perhaps the most fun? Now, you may have been wondering why I started off a Pampers post with a toy announcement about Elmo, well here is where I’m going to pull it all together for you. New Sesame Street graphics! Even Oscar the Grouch is making his debut appearance and joining in on all the fun!  They are SUPER CUTE:

Bolt Size 5-1 Back

You can visit the special “Cruisers Sweeps” tab located on the left side of the screen, and participate in daily Sesame Street trivia for a chance at exciting prizes. Each day a new question and set of prizes will be offered giving you, a chance at winning a pack of newly improved Pampers Cruisers with 3-Way Fit alongside cool Sesame Street items. Like tickets to Sesame Place…HELLO! Or even better, a chance at winning a year’s supply of diapers and an all-inclusive, four-day/three night vacation for two adults and two children (age 15 or under) to any of the four Beaches Resort’s “Sesame Street Caribbean Adventure” in Turks & Caicos or Jamaica!

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

All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

I was not compensated for this post in any way but I do represent Pampers as a brand ambassador.

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Pampers Hello Baby & Hello World Parenting Apps

October 6, 2011 By 1,193 Comments

Having a baby is the most wonderful and most challenging event you may ever have in your life. Everything turns upside-down and for the rest of your life you have responsibilities that never ever go on hold. Even me telling you this will not fully prepare you for the changes you have coming up. It’s something that just has to be experienced and enjoyed.

The brand new Pampers Hello World Baby Memories App is available now for free download on itunes for  iPad, iTouch or iPhone and it’s pretty cute. Makes me really wish I had this when Zoe and Miles were babies.  

 

The excellent features on the new Hello World app include:

HelloWorldFirst we have Growing Baby, This part of the app allows you to take daily photos of your baby then pulls them all together in a time-lapse video so you can see how quickly your baby is growing right before your eyes! The best part is you can use this feature to create your own personal parenthood story. You amazingly start with the baby bump, then the growth of your baby’s facial features, hands, feet, first tooth, etc. Growing Baby reveals in a remarkable way how precious babyhood really is.

Then Albums, This allows you to conveniently organize and arrange, by category, your family’s photos directly on your ipad, itouch or iphone device. I’m never organized so this would save my life, how about yours?

And Finally Making Memories, this is a one-touch sharing capability that allows you to take photo and videos, then quickly upload them to Facebook, Flickr, Twitter or Youtube at the touch of a button. Sharing made easy!

Now the other new and outstand parenting app by Pampers is the the Hello World Baby Memories app. This app is part of a series of apps called Pampers Hello Parenting Apps which also includes the Hello Baby Pregnancy Calendar. Which is pretty spectacular I must say.

PregnancyCalendar
HelloBabyThe Pampers Hello Baby Pregnancy Calendar allows you to explore life-sized images (iPad only; images in iPhone and iTouch are not life-sized) of a baby in the womb from week 4 up to week 40. You will learn about the stages of pregnancy and make small discovers about a baby’s development. I had to look at a book and use a count down device that was NOT IN COLOR. So this is fascinating to me.

Did you know that a baby could respond to sounds by week 28? The "womb translator" feature allows you to record your voice, then play it back or share it with friends in the tone that your baby hears it.

So these are two really cool parenting apps to help you with reminders about your coming and already here baby.

This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to the winner, brian e.

All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

I received no compensation but do represent Pampers as a brand ambassador.

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Hotels.com: What is Your Dream Vacation?

October 5, 2011 By 39 Comments

Now that it’s October and it’s rainy season in Washington all I can dream about is my beach vacation. I love the sun, I live for the sun, my entire being relies on the sun. My personality changes whenever the sun comes out, I’m happy and my heart is warm. So I adore going to the sun as often as I can.

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If you asked me where my dream vacation would be it would be Hawaii. We live in an area where people can actually afford to go on vacation often, and my husband and I we can’t afford to go as often, but all around me people are making plans to go to Hawaii. I want to go to Hawaii.

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I hear it’s amazing, the temperature is moderate and the sun is out. I think it rains there too, but it’s not a constant overcast. The best part is the huge beach and beautiful ocean. The sounds of the waves relaxes me more than any other sound. Swimming is my favorite way to exercise and riding the waves in the ocean thrills me to no end. So, if money and time weren’t a restriction then this is what we would do.

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I would go to Hotels.com. and check out the best way to find hotels, cars and flights because I’ve never been there before and I need some idea of where to stay and what a fair price would be. I love how reviews and package deals are included as search options.

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Then I would have to figure out what I would do. I could spend every day at the beach drinking Long Island Tea, and watching the waves, but if we go all the way to Hawaii we’re going to have to do a few of the tourist traps. I would love to visit Pearl Harbor even though it would make me quite sad.  I’d also love to see a volcano up close in the National Park. I know we have volcano’s here but they are sleeping. It would be fun to see one active in Hawaii.

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I’d also love to go snorkeling or scuba diving and would greatly enjoy taking in all the Hawaiian culture. Plus it would be so much fun to swim with the dolphins and collect sea shells with the kids. Yes, my dream vacation does include my husband and kids. Oh there is so much that I would love to do in Hawaii that I would need a vacation to rest after my dream Hawaiian vacation.

 

So what’s your dream vacation? Go over to Hotels.com Facebook Page to weigh in.

 

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Dakota Goyo is the Heart of Real Steel

October 5, 2011 By 48 Comments

Watching Real Steel invoked many more emotions than I first thought it would. Seeing the previews and watching everyone talk about robots makes everyone think that Real Steel is all about action and suspense, but no, it’s emotional and full of heart. For women, I think many of them are going to put Real Steel on their movie watching list because Hugh Jackman is in it, but guess what ladies, there’s another guy in this movie that’s going to steal your heart.

Dakota Goyo Hugh Jackman

Dakota Goyo is only 12 years old and full of talent. He’s a regular pre-teen that goes to school, has friends and does normal things that kids love to do, plus he gets to occasional walk the red carpet not that walking the red carpet is normal or anything. Dakota took time out of his busy schedule for an exclusive interview with a few bloggers after having a regular day at school.

Sugar Ray Leonard and Dakota Goyo

pictured left to right Sugar Ray Leonard, Dakota Goyo

Dakota’s favorite subject in school is science and he plays video games, his favorite video game being UFC. Undisputed. Which is pretty ironic since the movie Real Steel is about boxing. He enjoys school and for fun hangs out with his friends. I really admired how much he appreciates his friends and his normal life. He loves the fact that his friends at school don’t ask him about his movies and that in Toronto he just gets to be a kid. He amazes me with his talent and humble attitude. When he was asked which was cooler, working with Hugh Jackman or working with larger than life robots, he couldn’t choose. He said, they were both great. The robots and the CGI effects in the movie were really great.

Dakota Goyo in Real Steel

In the movie Real Steel Dakota plays Max Kenton, The son of Hugh Jackman’s character Charlie Kenton. Dakota has every attitude a young boy has and he does it well. He goes from stomping his foot, making an “I hate you face” to having the most charming eyes that no parent can say no to. “You’re kidding me with those eyes”. In one of the last scenes he pulls out some of the best tears I’ve ever seen. I started crying watching him cry. It’s amazing that he’s able to embody so many emotions so well. Especially with the hours he put in. He said that each day was 9 1/2 hours for 72 days straight. AMAZING!

Real Steel Premier

pictured left to right: Director Shawn Levy, Dakota Goyo, Evangeline Lilly, Stacey Snider, & Hugh Jackman

You have to go see Real Steel in theaters October 7th to witness this amazing actor. He stole the show and became all the heart behind the movie.

 

Dreamworks provided this interview opportunity and photos used in this post.

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Apple Orchard Snack Cake Recipe

October 5, 2011 By 38 Comments

My husband and I really LOVE the cookbook Southern Plate and I recommend you buy one for yourself. All the recipes we’ve tried so far have been fun to make with the kids and family pleasers. Now this recipe I’m about to share with you isn’t my favorite but the kids and Andrew loved it so I’m happy to share it with you all. To me, it ended up being too soggy. Maybe we were supposed to cook it longer. Guess it doesn’t matter because the two picky eaters loved it the way it was.

Apple Orchard Snack Cake

Now I’ve also been challenged to switch out truvia as part of the Lunch Makeover Challenge on behalf of truvia, in the place of sugar. We looked on the truvia website to try and find a conversion rate and it said when baking that you can’t really make a clean substitution for baking, see truvia baking and cooking tips, but for this recipe even though you’re baking it, I don’t see how it’s going to affect the texture, because it’s not like a cake. It doesn’t have any flour or baking soda/baking powder in it. Just cook it a shorter amount of time. I’ll leave instructions for both in the post, with sugar and with truvia. Truvia® natural sweetener, a great-tasting, natural, zero-calorie sweetener made from rebiana, the best-tasting part of the stevia leaf. Using Truvia natural sweetener within recipes slashes the calories found in sugar and eliminates concern of a sugar “high” that kids often experience after eating sweets.

Apple Orchard Snack Cake Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar (1/3 cup + 11/2 tablespoons truvia sugar substitute)
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 eggs
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 to 3 apples, peeled cored, and diced
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Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees (preheat the oven to 325 using truvia)

Blend the sugar butter and eggs in a large bowl with a spoon

Create the graham cracker crumbs

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Stir in the graham cracker crumbs apples until well blended

Spread the batter in the pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes (30 to 35 minutes using truvia)

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Make sure when you pull it out of the oven it is firm to the touch.

Sprinkle liberally with confectioners’ sugar

Cool and then cute into squares.

 

In conclusions, So some of the truvia conversions may seem complicated but it’s worth the benefits to your family and kids.

We received truvia samples to facilitate this recipe.

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My Boy!!! Wordless Wednesday

October 4, 2011 By 46 Comments

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Sausage Stuffed Mushroom Bites Recipe

October 4, 2011 By 46 Comments

Another great recipe I got to try on my recent visit to Johnsonville was the Sausage Stuffed Mushroom Bites. These Mushrooms were AMAZING. I think it’s my favorite thing I ate during my time in Milwaukee. That and the White Chocolate Alcohol but that’s another story entirely. The mushrooms end up coming out so juicy and the stuffing is good enough on it’s own. So if you don’t like mushrooms just use this sausage cream cheese mixture on something you do like.

IMG_5084Sausage Stuffed Mushroom Bites Recipe

Ingredients:

48 medium large fresh mushrooms
1 package Italian Sausage Links
1/2 cup crackers
1 8 ounce package of cream cheese (room temperature)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
3 garlic cloves mincedIMG_5081

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Remove and discard mushroom stems
Place mushroom caps on foil lined baking sheets
Remove Sausage casings
Cook the sausage in a skillet until no longer pink
Add the crackers
Remove from heat and set aside
Combine the rest of the ingredients except for the mushrooms
Then add the sausage to the mixture
Stuff each mushroom cap with the mixture and bake 14-16 minutes until mushrooms are lightly browned

Fore more great recipes ideas like this one, visit Johnsonville Kitchens.

 

My Trip and expenses were provided by Johnsonville.

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Celebrate Noodle Night PF Chang Style #NoodleNight 10/5 @PFChangs

October 4, 2011 By 26 Comments

Oh yummy noodles, I love noodles and Asian or Chinese flavors and spices. I love different flavors and really enjoy trying new flavors. We don’t make it out to eat very often so when PF Changs brought their famous restaurant flavors into the freezer section I was pretty excited to try them out especially since it’s ready in less than 20 minutes.

Last night we celebrated noodle night a little bit early. Why? So we could share our experience and get all of you excited about celebrating noodle night coming up on October 6th. So last night I made a lot of noodles, and special treats for our little noodle party.

We started off with Pepper Steak with Chow Fun Noodles. This is a yummy steak with a sweet and peppery sauce, bell peppers, onions and chow fun noodles.

Pepper Steak with Chow Fun Noodles

We then had a second course of Garlic Chicken with Dan Dan Noodles. These noodles and chicken were an excellent combination of White meat chicken with a savory garlic sauce, bell peppers, bok choy and yakisoba noodles. I had a hard time not going back for thirds.

Garlic Chicken with Dan Dan Noodles

From there we had some carrots and peas to accompany the main dishes. The kids just adored trying to be like all the adults using the chopsticks. IMG_5218

Other PF Changs noodle flavors to have during your noodle night I recommend:

Grilled Chicken Teriyaki with Lo Mein Noodles – Grilled chicken with a teriyaki sauce, pineapple, red bell peppers, onions and lo mein noodles

Firecracker Shrimp with Yakisoba Noodles – Lightly battered shrimp with spicy sauce, carrots, edamame, onions and yakisoba noodles

You too can join the national Noodle Celebration on October 6th by hosting a block party at home! Transform your living room into a venue for a family dinner party without the work. Invite close friends and families for a Thursday night dinner party featuring Pepper Steak with Chow Fun or Garlic Chicken with Dan Dan Noodles. With a little help from P.F. Chang’s new Home Menu Noodles, you and your guests can sample five varieties of Asian noodles including P.F. Chang’s Home Menu Garlic Chicken with Dan Dan Noodles, Pepper Steak with Chow Fun Noodles, Grilled Chicken Teriyaki with Lo Mein, Firecracker Shrimp with Yakisoba Noodles, and Shrimp Lo Mein.

Now, if you’re into social media and winning prizes, join PF Changs on twitter Wednesday night for a virtual noodle party from 8-10pm EST @PFChangs.

And even more prizes on Facebook.

On October 6th, National Noodle Day, be sure to visit the P.F. Chang’s Home Menu Sweepstakes tab on Facebook for their National Noodle Day Sweepstakes.  You can enter to win one of their VIP noodle tasting kits, chef-quality skillets to prepare your meal, and a grand prize trip for two to spice up your weeknight in Las Vegas!

 

We received samples and everything needed to have a noodle night of our own.

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Freschetta Proud To Support Pink

October 4, 2011 By 179 Comments

As everyone already knows the month of October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Many companies out there will be donning their pink caps and donating huge amounts of money to Breast Cancer research and finding a cure. I’m all about finding a cure. Many of you may know that I lost someone to breast cancer earlier this year so I feel that I should help companies in their efforts to raise money.

Freschetta cutting board

Freshcetta sent me a package telling me about their campaign for this month, it’s a cute little kit that came with a free pizza coupon and some pink ear buds, one for me to keep and another set to share with a friend. They are also providing a kit for a giveaway and you can read the details for that below. For now though here is how you can help donate 50,000 to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and ways to learn more about Breast Cancer:

Specially marked Freschetta packages are printed with codes tat you can enter at Proud To Support Pink. For each code that is entered, the makers of Freschetta products will donate $1 to this center to support breast cancer research, up to $50,000. They are also giving away an iPod shuffle®* to 50 lucky winners. Share with your friends and family to earn extra entries! They aren’t just rewarding you and I. Each week they will also be giving 50 of the iPod shuffle®* to one of these four Cancer Centers for patients receiving treatments

To Learn about more ways to help the fight against breast cancer check out these sites!

American Cancer Society
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
National Cancer Institute
National Breast Cancer Foundation
Breast Cancer Network of Strength
Breast Cancer Support Group

This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to the winner, Danielle E.

All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

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

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Boost Kids Essentials Chocolate Caramel Banana Cooler Recipe

October 3, 2011 By 42 Comments

My kids love flavored milk and I really dislike giving them extra sugar at any time. But we still have flavored milk a few times a week, sometimes more often than that. So whenever I have the opportunity to give them flavored milk with less sugar I’m all about that. I’ve used Boost Kids Essentials in the past as a snack for the kids and we’ve been quite happy with the results. So when I had the opportunity to work with them here on MomStart, I was quite happy to accept and even get creative so I wanted to share this fun recipe with you, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it immensely.

Chocolate Caramel Banana Cooler Recipe

Ingredients:

1 container (8.25 fl. oz.) BOOST® Kid Essentials Drink (chocolate)
1 banana
1 Tbsp. caramel syrup

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and mix blend.

 

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$3 Boost Kids Essentials CouponI love that each serving of BOOST Kid Essentials Drink provides 240 calories, 24 essential vitamins and minerals, and 7 grams of protein. Talk to your pediatrician about healthy eating and meal replacements.

click here to get your coupon

When it comes to getting my kids to eat healthy I’ve found that I have to be a good example. My husband and I like different things, he’s the fruit eater and I’m the veggie lover. So between the both of us the kids see us eating a variety of items. However, I still feel that I have to make sure I’m eating everything that’s good for us so they will too. It’s a challenge but I find that it really is important. And it’s normal for picky eaters to be cautious about trusting an unfamiliar food. So, rather than simply insisting that a picky eater eat a food he or she hasn’t tried before, try these approaches to introducing nutritious new foods as suggested by ChooseMyPlate.gov and helpguide.org:

 

I received samples on behalf of Nestle to facilitate this review and try out this recipe.

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