2011 — MomStart

How to Switch To Vegetarian: Veggie Patch Go Meatless

December 28, 2011 By Momstart 11 Comments

By Summer:

I was late getting dinner on the table; sometimes I feel I’m one step behind. My husband had picked his parents up from the airport and I had lost track of time doing some final cleaning (of the house and myself). What would be for dinner? What would 4 adults and 2 children all enjoy without too much time and effort?

I dove into my freezer. I found 8-cheese tortellini, a local chicken sausage, and Veggie Patch Meatless Meatballs. Perfect! While I boiled the pasta, I mixed the sausage in some jarred marinara adding some fresh tomatoes and basil; I also through the Veggie Patch Meatless Meatballs into the oven) for 8 minutes on 400^oF (this is not the instructions on the packet but I altered the recommended preparations to cook with the bread).

At first I kept my mouth shut about the “meatballs” because I wanted to know what my family really thought about the meatballs without thinking they’re really veggie-balls. All the adults and my 2YO liked them, but my picker-everyday 5YO take a bit, swallowed it and said he didn’t like it (but he swallowed it, which is a win). With these Veggie Patch Meatless Meatballs I wish I would have you lick your screen to see how good they taste. I fooled them all and I even had to pull out the Veggie Patch package to prove the balls were meatless. My MIL, who is on Weight Watchers, was happy because instead of only 3 meatballs she could eat 6 for only 3-points compared to meatballs.

Many New Year resolutions center on health, so get into your goals (and your skinny jeans) with Veggie Patch products. You can make some simple substitutions to help you reach your health goals or converting to a Meatless Monday menu. Some easy switches:

Normally You Have Switch To Veggie Patch

nuggets spinach nuggets OR broccoli or spinach bites with cheese

meatballs falafel chickpea balls or meatless meatballs

chicken patties Mediterranean chickpea patty

hamburger veggie lover’s burger or the ultimate meatless burger

French fries zucchini sticks or potato and mushroom puffs

If you’re looking for something new to do with these substitutes, Veggie Patch offers recipes to spice up your menu.

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

Filed Under: review, Summer Tagged With: how to go veggie, How to Switch To Vegetarian, Meatless Meatballs, Veggie Patch

Using Shout Free and Shout Color Catcher with Oxi

December 27, 2011 By Momstart 79 Comments

Having kids means I have to treat over half the clothing before I wash it. Seems like having a boy makes it more than I ever thought it would be. Of course his clothes are covered from head to toe and I feel like I’m treating the entire shirt and not just a few spots. I have to treat my own clothing because they forget to wash their hands some I’m often used as a Kleenex or wash cloth for their face and hands. Sigh, Laundry is such a chore.

I just started using Shout Free and the Shout color Catcher. I like Shout Free because it’s fragrance free, dye free, safe on colorfast washables and works in all temperatures. Plus the trigger and spray works better than the other brand I was using, and what I mean by that is that it’s easier to squeeze and sprays a larger area if I choose. Because like I said sometimes I feel like I’m spraying the whole shirt so I like the sprayer. I’m easy to please.

I hate when clothing fades and bleeds onto the rest of the clothing. The Shout^® Color Catcher^® sheets absorb and trap loose dyes in the washing machine protecting clothes against color bleeds and helping preserve original colors. I was skeptical about it working but actually felt like the colors were brighter after my first use. Maybe it’s all in my head but I did a load of pink and red and used the Shout color catcher and it came out just a tad pink. I actually expected it to be bright. pink but it was only a very pale pink. And I threw in a very light colored shirt and it wasn’t pink either. So far I’m very pleased with the Shout Color Catcher.

Currently Shout is offering downloadable Shout coupons on the Shout Facebook page for Shout Free and Color Catcher with Oxi.

This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to the winner, Andrea D.

All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Shout and received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With: giveaway, laundry, momcentral, Shout color Catcher, shout free, stain

NEW! Super by Dr. Nicholas Perricone Cosmetics Beauty Product

December 27, 2011 By Momstart 365 Comments

Can you believe I’ve been blogging for over three years now? Let’s see, I started blogging in September 2008 and have been working with really cool companies like Perricone a fantastic cosmetics company. Perricone MD makes very high end beauty products. I’m actually still working on a bottle they sent me a few years ago. They never ever adversely affects my sensitive face. Dr. Nicholas Perricone has come out with an entire new line of products; the Super line.

There is a SUPER Second Cream & lotion with yogurt good for skin

A deeply hydrating, gently exfoliating hand and cuticle remedy
Developed with Probiotics from Greek Yogurt
Absorbs easily into palms, knuckles and cuticles for soft, polished skin

There is a SUPER night cream with saltwater red algae.

Helps skin stay smooth, supple and safe from free radicals

Loaded with Astaxanthin, the antioxidant in Red Algae known to increase moisture

Formulated with Retinol for gentle resurfacing

There is a SUPER Detox Elixir with watercress.

A refreshing mist that refines pores
Formulated with Sulforaphane, found in Watercress, to detoxify for a healthy glow
Spray throughout the day for a fresh and flawless finish

There is, well a lot of newly created cosmetic products super formulated by Dr. Nicholas Perricone. I’m really interested in the acne treatment as I can’t seem to get this acne under control lately. What Super Perricone product are you interested in?

This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to the winner, Erica Best.

All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With: beauty product, costmetics giveaway, giveaway

Tour The Microsoft Home of the Future!

December 27, 2011 By Momstart 24 Comments

A few weeks ago I visited the Microsoft Home of the future courtesy of Microsoft and Sony, inside this house are some things that aren’t that far from being mass marketed at a price people can afford while other things may still be a little further down in the future.

I missed the introduction to the tour where they explained that everything in the house was a possible item that we might see one day and that they weren’t even really prototypes; just ideas and illusions of what may come. However, I know some of the concepts are already real. For example, the door has a camera on it that sends a message to your phone with video of that person. This item is something that I’ve recently reviewed. Now the one I’ve reviewed needs a light to work in the dark, but there is a service that comes with this camera that sends the live video to your phone (VueZone, an easy to use camera system. Whether it’s to make sure kids are getting homework done or playing safely in the yard, VueZone helps parents stay connected to those they love most. We thought it was pretty cool.) Then after viewing the video at the Microsoft Home of the future you could then use your phone to unlock and open the door if you trust your guest. The house is a smart home that talks to you. You can give it commands and just have a conversation with her, you know like you might have a conversation with your iphone app Siri.

So inside the house you can set the temp, lights, everything by each person’s preference, even grandmas for when she comes to visit. As soon as you enter the house just dump all your devices on the counter and the counter will charge them and link them to the house routing all cell phone calls or message to your house’s interface. In the kitchen you can have a recipe pop up on the counter just by putting a few key ingredients on the counter.

All throughout the house there were different ways to interact with the house and ways for the house to interact with you. The house could keep track of your entire health record and keep track of all your vitals. If you’re the kind of person that keeps up with your heart rate while you’re working out or maybe you’re tracking your sleep habits (zeo) This house puts any kind of technology you can think of at your fingertips. Then just send all the information to the CLOUD and give your doctor access to what you want them to see. Could you imagine being completely in charge of your medical record and having all that information at your fingertips?

One of my favorite features was how you could digitally decorate the walls or have a story come to life as you read it out loud to your children.

Painting a bedroom is a pain in the rear end and yes I LOVE color on the walls. Then if grandma comes to visit and your teenager has to give up their room for her while she’s there all you have to do is tell the house to switch to grandma’s profile and bam the room is ready for grandma. And get this grandma can personalize it even further with locked features that will only appear when she gets there, plus I think the CLOUD – the network – connects all the houses together. So you can keep up with your family no matter how far away they are through your house, kind of creepy and kind of cool at the same time.

What do you think?

Photos & Video are from Microsoft. Thanks to Sony and Microsoft for allowing me to peek inside the house of the future.

Filed Under: review Tagged With: Home of the future, house of the future, Microsoft, Sony, vue, Zeo

The Divine Emergency Break: 2012 Kia Sorento

December 27, 2011 By Momstart 46 Comments

I’m working on a review and a recipe inspired by the 2012 Kia Sorento and I’m thinking about cooking up something Asian for a little Kung Fu power. According to Kia, the Kia Sorento inspires moms to get in the kitchen and creatively come up with recipes. “Our research shows that every month more than five million people who are current and prospective Kia Sorento drivers search online for new recipes they can prepare for their family.” So I’m going to start working on that recipe this week. But I have a quick story to share!

While I was reviewing the car, on the first day of my review my husband parked the 2012 Kia Sorento on the street and used the emergency break. We’re on a hill, it’s a natural thing to do. I had to run to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription and got in the car and couldn’t figure out how to get the emergency break unlocked.

I pushed it in and it wouldn’t pop out. I pushed again and again and it wouldn’t come out. So I thought to myself, some cars have a pull tab that you pull on the dash. I looked and looked and no tab, I found a piece of plastic that I was pretty sure was not the break and I pulled it anyway and it popped right off the dash. I was flustered and quickly reattached the plastic piece and continued to figure out how to get the parking break out. I looked directly at the parking break and it said, push on/off. So I pushed it again and it still would not budge.

My next door neighbor owns a 2011 Kia Sorento and he walked by. I was so embarrassed to have to do this but I needed to get to the pharmacy so I sucked in all my pride and got out and asked him how to get the break out. Of course he looked at me like are you serious? But he kindly said it should just pop out after you push it and I said it’s not working. He asked me if I wanted him to try it and I told him yes so he got in and it wouldn’t pop out for him either. He tried a few times and told me it didn’t have any tension like his did. Then he asked me to come over and check his out. So he went into his house opened up his garage door and we tried his out. First he did it to make sure it would work or to show me how and then I tried it. It’s a simple push to turn it on and off. HMMMMM

Now I had to go tell my husband that the car break was broken and I wasn’t sure what to do. He came out and pushed it and it still wouldn’t budge so my husband FORCED the break to come up by pushing the break out with his food (out instead of down). It was unlocked. I took the Kia Sorento to the pharmacy and when I got there the police were there questioning everyone because the pharmacy had been held up. My heart started pounding and I realized that the break fiasco kept me from being part of the hold up. From that point on we had no problems with the 2012 Kia Sorento’s emergency break. It works just fine! God kept me safe, I know that without a doubt in my mind.

Filed Under: personal Tagged With: 2012 Kia Sorento, emergency parking break

Enjoying A Few Days Off

December 26, 2011 By Momstart 28 Comments

I usually post every day without fail, I’m a workaholic you know!. Even if all I post is a photo I put something up to keep the RSS active and everyone updated on my life but I haven’t kept anyone updated on my life for months. Honestly I’ve been too depressed to write about myself. Yeah, I know my blog is super successful and my life is wonderful. I have an amazing husband, house and kids and do the most exciting things through MomStart but that doesn’t help how my brain works and I’ve recently found that depression is something I’m just going to struggle with all the time and I have to work on it. I thought I had SAD and that it was just a seasonal thing, but I’ve been seeing a new doctor who said it’s deeply seeded into the character of who I am and what she said made sense to me. So my lack of personal posts over the past few months has been as I’ve been dealing with different medications, wanting to sleep all the time, and just no time to gather my thoughts. At one point a doctor had given me the wrong dosage of a medication and I literally thought I was losing my mind. I’m doing ok right now just so you guys know.

ANYWAY!!! Depression or not I really did enjoy the last few days off with my family. For three days I hardly touched my computer and phone. I updated Facebook here and there but it was a wonderful vacation and I’m quite tempted to take today off too.

Christmas was amazing for us. It was nice to be just the four of us, quiet and we could take as much time as we wanted to open all our presents. And I’ve eaten way more than my share of cookies. In the New Year there will be some fasting in store for all of us. But not until after Zoe’s birthday. We have some more baking in store for us. So I just wanted to share with you all that MomStart is still here I’m just enjoying my Christmas vacation jus like everyone else.

MERRY CHRISTMAS (a day late) & Happy New Year

Filed Under: personal

HP INKOLOGY At Home Pintables

December 23, 2011 By Momstart 409 Comments

When you think HP you think laptop or printer or really cool tech product company right? All three are completely correct but HP is always looking to increase their reach and in preparation for the holiday season they have brought us INKOLOGY at home.

At INKOLOGY you can create a very special customized holiday gift from HP. The widget above will give you the ability to download, customize, and quickly print some fun holiday items for free. HP sent me a holiday gift pack so I could see some of the different ways you can enjoy INKOLOGY at home. With the HP holiday gift pack I found that I could create customized labels. It seems like the closer the holiday gets, the more mailings we have and the greater the need for labels. And the customized recipe cards that I received look amazing. No only do they look amazingly sharp but they are even glossy and printed on quality card stock paper.

A few other options you could choose from:

QR Code Stickers for your blog
Coloring Pages for your kids

Laminated Editorial Calendar Planner
Custom Return Labels (one set would be custom with your mailing address and another would be left blank)
Outbound Labels
Business Mailing Labels
Twitter and Facebook logo signs (with an area for you to write your own username and custom URL) Signs
Custom Letter w/ suggestions on how to use your gift pack

This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to the winner, Angela Winesburg
.

All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With: giveaway, HP, INKOLOGY

The Animal Place Handcrafted Stuffed Animals to Make the Imagination ROAR & SOAR

December 23, 2011 By Momstart 5 Comments

By Ashley

Know of someone who still needs a last minute gift idea? The Animal Place has the largest online collection of HANSA stuffed animals. When I first heard about this, I recognized the name, but didn’t know that this company is an award winning company that puts meticulous time and energy into every detail of every animal. Each HANSA animal available at The Animal Place is hand stitched putting incredible workmanship into every toy, not to mention the elaborate life-like detail.

Atticus (and who am I kidding, me too) fell in love with his HANSA monkey. It’s just the right size for him and the fur is so incredibly soft. Right now The Animal Place is showcasing ten special HANSA wildlife collections (endorsed my major conservation organizations like The Wildlife Trust of India, Lewis Wildlife Conservancy and more). Two of the most amazing categories, in my opinion anyway, are:

· Life-sized – Limited editions of life-sized animals, such as dragons and zebras that can even hold a 250 lb. “rider.”

· Endangered Species – From the snow leopard to the spider monkey, this collection is designed to raise awareness of their special status.

COUPON CODE

Too late you say? Nope. The Animal Place has FREE 2 day FedEx shipping with orders over $50! Even better than that, MomStart readers can get 15% off of their orders with the coupon code MOMSTART2011. Use this quickly because it will only last until December 31. Jump on this quickly! If you get a life-sized HANSA animal, I even mean that li

About Ashley:

Ashley has a background in teaching Kindergarten and working with children K through 8th grade. She is now a SAHM and President of our local MOMS Club chapter. She writes her own blog at Momicles.

Filed Under: review Tagged With: handcrafted plush, review, stuffed animals, The Animal Place

Time For Kids Big Book of Science Experiments Review

December 23, 2011 By Momstart 6 Comments

By Summer:

Once Christmas is over the school year ramps up again, and with that is usually SCIENCE FAIRS! If you’re missing that one last gift this holiday season think about TIME for Kids Big Book of Science Experiences. If you have an engineer, ecologist, physicist or other budding scientist then this is an everyday book for them. If you have a student who struggles in science this book is a step-by-step guide to more than 100 projects for science fair success. Owning this book (especially if you have more than one child) is a no brainer! TIME for Kids Big Book of Science Experiences is also “powdered” by Mad Science, you may have heard of them from their camps in your local area.

The TIME for Kids Big Book of Science Experiences offers sections in Earth Science, Life Science, Physical Science, Technology and Engineering, and (just in case) Science Fair Success Secrets. My almost 5YO is all about getting our book asking to do experiments. He’ll browse the book and find one that looks interesting to him; though he isn’t able to do the experiences himself, MAINLY because he refuses to read.

The first experiment my husband and sons (almost 5YO and 2YO) did was on Earth Science and the differences and properties of salt water and fresh water. Here’s how it went:

My sons both enjoyed it. They loved doing an experiment and spending the time with daddy. What a fun book! I’d highly recommend this for families and classrooms. If you need a last minute gift or stocking stuffer for you household or if you’d like to get your child’s classroom teacher an new fun and practical book than buy TIME for Kids Big Book of Science Experiences.

My Mom Start Review Grade for TIME for Kids Big Book of Science Experiences book: A

For more on TIME for Kids you can check out their website.

About Summer:

Filed Under: review Tagged With: book review, Time for Kids, Time for Kids Big Book of Science Experiences

My Monster Burrufu by Alberto Corral Children’s Book Review

December 23, 2011 By Momstart 7 Comments

By Summer:

I love children’s books. My children and I love to read together but sometimes I get offers to read books beyond my children’s intelligence and attention span. For my 5YO, My Monster Burrufu is one of those books, but before you dismiss this review allow me to stop you – read on! I LOVED reading this book; for an adult or accelerated reader this 83 page novel will quickly please you on a rainy/snowy/cold day.

Alberto Corral has a BIG winner here! Love, love, loved it! I’m also not the only one; on Amazon My Monster Burrufu has 5 stars after 21 reviews. If you need one last present for your elementary school student LET THIS BE IT (recommended reading level is ages 9 and up).

Most children move into a new house and hear new noises and perhaps worry about monsters! But that’s okay, because everyone knows that having a monster in your house is good luck. So luckily 7YO Olivia moves into a house with a monster in it! The never scary monster is Buffufu (as you may have guessed; Ha!) and he’s a writer. When Olivia discovers Burrufu he could care less about befriending the child, but his icy heart begins to melt for her persistence in kindness and friendship.

My Monster Burrufu is just a warm story, but in the middle a true morality of the books stands out when Alberto Corral writes:

And that was because no one, apart from Olivia knew him. Sadly, when met with the unknown, most people’s first reaction is fear.
They don’t even notice that maybe they are standing in front of their new best friend. (p.62)

***
Knowing that he was the reason for those people’s screams broke his heart.
However, there was one thing he didn’t know. It wasn’t him. It was prejudice. If people would get to know him like Olivia did, they would soon realize that there was no reason to be afraid. (p.63)

My Mom Start Review Grade of the My Monster Burrufu book: A++++

My Monster Burrufu is just spell binding as you enjoy the text and Alessandra Sorrentino’s illustrations. You can find out more about My Monster Burrufu on the book’s website and Facebook page. The publisher, Petite Grande Idée, can also be found on Twitter @PGIdee; My Monster Burrufu is their first book.

We at Mom Start would also like to thank the publisher and PR company for providing an extra copy of My Monster Burrufu to be given to a local school in need as a literacy donation.

About Summer:

Filed Under: review Tagged With: Alberto Corral, Children's book review, My Monster Burrufu, review