Ambassador Archives

The Truvia Baking Star Voting Has Begun

October 22, 2014 by Momstart 1 Comment

This is a partnered post as part of my Truvia Ambassadorship.

Today is the day where you can go on-line and start voting for your favorite bakers. Participants submitted a video which showcases their baking talents and highlights an original recipe featuring either the NEW Truvia^® Brown Sugar Blend or the Truvia^® Baking Blend via TruviaBakingStar.com.

If you remember last month I made Truvia Baking Star Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies and they are so super delicious. I’m thinking of making another batch because I have some leftover pumpkin in the fridge from some pumpkin soup I made last week. I’m also considering just baking up a simple batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies substituting Truvia^® Brown Sugar Blend and the Truvia^® Baking Blend for brown sugar and regular sugar.

Truvia baking blend is designed for easy, at-home baking, and is a blend of Truvia^®natural sweetener and sugar. Truvia^® Baking Blend provides sugar-like taste and texture in recipes, but with 75% fewer calories and twice the amount of sweetness than sugar. Truvia^® Baking Blend is available at retail stores nationwide in a 1.5pound bag with a closeable, easy-to-use pour spout. I love how easy it is to store and pour.

Designed for easy, at-home baking, new Truvia^® Brown Sugar Blend is a blend of Truvia^® natural sweetener and brown sugar. It provides brown-sugar-like taste and texture in recipes, and is the only brown sugar product that offers 75% fewer calories than brown sugar per serving.

Be sure to visit truviabakingstar.com to see videos of of YouTube’s top foodies, including a gourmet chef and healthy living expert, to launch the Truvia^® Baking Star contest. Gaby Dalkin, Byron Talbott, April Moore and Joanne Ozug created a series of recipe videos which all use the new Truvia^® Brown Sugar Blend and go vote for your favorite in the contest.

To keep up with Truvia on-line follow them on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter and www.truvia.com/baking

I’m an ambassador for Truvia and compensated for my time, my opinions are always my own.

Eggs Teflon And Stuffed French Toast Recipe And $150 Giveaway

May 22, 2014 by Momstart 76 Comments

I’m a Teflon Ambassador receive products and compensation for my time my opinions are my own.

As you saw before I wrote a post about how I don’t want to spend all my time in the kitchen cleaning. I want to have that time to spend with my family, using non-stick products is an easy way to save that time in the kitchen. So I’m a big fan of Teflon nonstick coating on pans. This month Teflon has challenged me to take on eggs because it is National Egg Month. To test out the non-stick power of Teflon I received the the Farberware Premium Professional Dishwasher Safe 12 Piece Cookware Set with Teflon® nonstick coating valued at $150. (We’ll be giving one away too). You have even more chances to win the cookware set on Facebook.

The National Egg Month Sweepstakes is hosted on its own tab on Teflon®’s Facebook page through May 31 so you still have time to enter. You can go to the tab and sign up to win daily prizes and if you refer friends, you’ll be entered to win a weekly grand prize (links to prizes below). Included as part of the tab is a fun quiz titled “What does your egg say about you?” What you do is select your favorite type of egg and find out what your “egg personality.” is. For example, someone who chooses scrambled has a busy, but social lifestyle. There are daily and weekly prizes.

Daily Prizes (will alternate between these two products):

· Farberware Nonstick Aluminum Triple Pack Skillets

· Farberware Premium Professional Dishwasher Safe 11" Square Griddle

Weekly Grand Prize:

· Farberware Premium Professional Dishwasher Safe 12 Piece Cookware Set

Taking on Eggs, I boiled some, I scrambled some and I made French Toast all using my cookware set.

The filling is made of bananas, pecans, and nutmeg.

Stuffed Banana Pecan French Toast Buns Recipe

Ingredients:

6 eggs
1/4 cup milk
4 very ripe bananas
1/4 cup pecans
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
8 slices bread
4 tablespoons butter

Directions:

In a large shallow bowl beat the eggs until frothy. Stir in the milk and set aside

Peel the bananas and mash in a small bowl stir in the pecans and nutmeg

Spread the banana mixture in between the hotdog buns, press the bun together gently

Place the filled buns in the egg mixture let soak and then flip coating all sides for a few seconds

Cook on the griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Make sure to cook all sides. By cooking all sides you won’t have any raw egg and it seals in the mixture.

Use remaining banana mixture for dip or drizzle.

Be sure to follow Teflon® brand’s Facebook and Twitter accounts for more exciting news from the brand.

Enter to Win:

The cookware set valued at 150

To Enter:

Tell me what you like to make with eggs

Extra Entries:

Use the rafflecopter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Introducing My New @Cottonelle Ambassadorship of Wiping My Bum #LetsTalkBums

August 19, 2013 by Momstart 3 Comments

It’s something we hardly ever talk about, there’s something about getting older where talking about our buts becomes taboo, it’s not something you say out loud you just do it. I mean, having kids in the house, I hear about it all day long. Potty talk is all the rage at age four through seven, but I might find out that having a young boy in the house that potty talk survives age seven. Heaven help me…..

He looks so innocent but trouble is his middle name

potty talk

trouble

I’m in big trouble….

So what brand is it that’s got us opening up on the potty talk???

Cottonelle!!!

Yep that’s the brand that keeps us fresh and clean and that I’m going to be writing for as an ambassador and compensated for my time keeping all potty opinions true to the nature of our family which is clean and fresh and yes this is the longest run on sentence ever…….

I have to share that flushable wipes are in every bathroom, they aren’t just for kids who need help wiping their bums they are also for adults like me and my husband. Every member of this house and I’m sure your house too wipes their bum, especially when their bum is feisty. LOL. (I’m going to be laughing a lot in this campaign and I hope you get some giggles in too). I wish I would remember the next time I go to the store to put a smaller package in my purse because I’d love to have them on the go, I do wipe my bum everywhere I go…TMI????

You can join in on conversation by tweeting @Cottonelle on Twitter and sharing with Cottonelle on Facebook. Share your potty talk and stories with the world.

Arm & Hammer Tooth Tunes Singing With Zoe

August 14, 2013 by Momstart 1 Comment

I’m an Arm & Hammer Brand Ambassador and receive product samples from time to time, these tooth tunes however, we purchased for our kids. This school year, Arm & Hammer Tooth Tunes is here to help eliminate one argument in the morning – getting kids to brush their teeth. Kids will look forward to those two minutes of brushing with Arm & Hammer Tooth Tunes before heading out the door to school. My son would rather use his Tooth Tunes than his Sonicare, because the Arm & Hammer Tooth Tunes sings.

This exciting line of toothbrushes features hit songs that kids will love, including chart-topping singles from One Direction, Black Eyed Peas, Cody Simpson, Selena Gomez & The Scene, and many more. ARM & HAMMER Tooth Tunes will give your kids a brighter smile, while they rock along to their favorite artists! And they get so excited to hear their tooth tunes on the radio. They get all exciting saying hey that’s my tooth brush. It makes me laugh every time.

ARM & HAMMER Tooth Tunes toothbrushes feature one of a kind Music in Your Mouth technology that stream sound vibrations from the bristles of the toothbrush through the teeth, allowing kids to hear music while they brush. Each toothbrush plays music for two minutes to encourage longer brushing and ensure that kids achieve the dentist’s recommended brushing time.

Check out Zoe and her video using her tooth brush.

Think your children are too young for ARM & HAMMER Tooth Tunes? Check out ARM & HAMMER Tooth Tunes Jr., designed for smaller hands and mouths. ARM & HAMMER Tooth Tunes Jr. is perfect for kids ages 3 – 6 years old, and features songs from the popular kids group KIDZ BOP.

I’m a Swimways Ambassador and National Learn To Swim Day is May 18th

May 6, 2013 by Momstart 2 Comments

I’m so happy to announce that I’m a Swimways Ambassador and have fallen in love with the suits they sent me to review. They sent me these swimming vests. They aren’t life preservers but they do allow for some added buoyance to help my kids fee confident in their attempts to learn how to swim. Both of my children are afraid of the water and it’s so contrary to how I feel about the water so it’s really important to me that they learn how to swim. And they are super excited with their new fins!

As I’m further testing out the Swimways products I am also excited to share additional information this summer with you like information about the second annual National Learn to Swim Day , as May 18^th National Learn to Swim Day is quickly approaching!

Swimways started National Learn to Swim Day in 2012 with the goal of educating families about the importance and benefits of learning to swim before Memorial Day Weekend and the start of summer. On Saturday, May 18^th, Swimways encourages families around the country to participate in National Learn to Swim Day by signing children up for swimming lessons, hosting a National Learn to Swim Day event or committing to learning to swim this summer.

All summer long, Swimways will be working with Mario Vittone, former Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue Swimmer and instructor and water safety expert, to bring expert water safety tips to Swim Steps’ dedicated website TeachMeToSwim.com. In addition to these tips, families can download free materials and resources on the site, including a swimming certificate, National Learn to Swim Day party invitation, coloring sheets and more.

Stay tuned for Zoe and Miles’ journey in the swimming pool this summer.

How Zoe’s Addiction to Her Nails Spread with Klutz Nail Art #KlutzBooks

November 15, 2012 by Momstart 9 Comments

With The six water-based, non-toxic, peel-off paints, girls like Zoe can decorate their nails with any design imaginable bumblebees, berries, butterflies, bears, and baseballs…and that’s just the beginning. From apples to zigzags, there’s something here to please even the most finicky fingertips and her were never finicky.

Klutz contacted me asking if I wanted to be a Holiday ambassador and offered me a list to choose from on that list was the Klutz Nail Art book. I NEEDED this book so I could be more creative in painting her nails. Usually it’s just enough for me to get her nails painted at all, I mean, it’s hard for me to put everything that I’m working on down to paint her nails. TERRIBLE I know, but having this book has made it easier. I’m inspired when I can be creative. I LOVE ART!

So I made candy corn nails on her toes. There were a lot of Halloween options in the Nail Art book, actually there were options for everything. Christmas, stripes, and anything under the sun, the sun included.

To Make the candy corn,

Apply a Yellow strip of polish

Apply a orange/red strip of polish

Apply a White tip to each nail

Then she painted her grandmother’s toes and I think she did a fantastic job. She’s only five years old.

She just loves doing her nails, she loves it more than I do, but with these paints I feel comfortable letting her do it herself.

There are 60 pages recommended for ages 8 and up. The nail polish that comes with the Nail Art kit is easily peeled off. This can be an advantage or disadvantage, depending on your point of view. It does make changing the nail fashions quicker and easier. The polish was a good consistency for nail artwork though. We had so much fun.

Be sure to enter to win your own books. The prizing of the WRAP IT UP SWEEPSTAKES changes out every Monday featuring new themes touching on the wide variety of titles Klutz has to offer – Science, Games, Classic Crafts, Holidays and more! The weekly sweeps start every Monday and fans can enter through November 26.

I’m a Klutz Brand Ambassador and received books to review, test out and share my results and will also be compensated for my time. This doesn’t affect my opinion of the brand at all because I’ve loved using Klutz for years!!!

Truvia Baking Blend Pumpkin Pie Recipe

November 15, 2012 by Momstart 8 Comments

Making Pumpkin Pie is a big deal in this house because it’s my husband’s favorite dessert. He loves Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin bread, Pumpkin latte’s he’s just crazy about the pumpkin flavor. Making the decision to cut back on the sugar in the Pumpkin Pie recipe he loves the most made me very nervous. I even took the pies over to a Fall Harvest party without trying them and making sure they were edible. Not sure why I was so worried because I’ve liked everything I made with Truvia baking blend so far, why would pie be any different? I think it’s because my husband’s taste buds are so sensitive and it was for him mostly and not me.

Like I said, I’m not even sure he noticed a difference. He didn’t tell me if he did.

Truvia Baking Blend Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Ingredients

3/4 cup Truvia Baking Blend
5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 can (30 oz.) 100% Pure Pumpkin
2 cans (12 fl. oz.) evaporated milk
2 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shells

Directions:

Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl.
Beat eggs in large bowl.
Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture.
Gradually stir in evaporated milk.
Pour into pie shell.
Bake in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes.
Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.
Cool on wire rack for 2 hours.

Serve immediately or refrigerate.

To keep up with Truvia on-line follow them on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter and www.truvia.com/baking

I’m an ambassador for Truvia and compensated for my time, my opinions are always my own.

Fingerprint Fabulous & The Most Amazing Thumb Doodles Book #KlutzBooks

November 8, 2012 by Momstart 10 Comments

Again, like I mentioned last month I went overboard when it came to KlutzBooks and purchased more than they sent me to review. I purchased the Fingerprint Fabulous and The Most Amazing Thumb Doodles Book for Miles and Zoe. Why? Because I knew it would spark creativity in both of my kids. They started creating mermaids, robots and crazy stories and names for their creations. Then they started getting super duper silly with the giggles and had a great time for a few hours of creating.

Miles made awesome robots

And vegetables.

And Zoe made Mermaids

And dogs, creative dogs

And of course we had lots of very dirty fingers!

In this video Miles and Zoe show off their creations and why they like doing art projects and crafts.

We purchased these two books.

Fingerprint Fabulous is a glamorous take on one of our favorite art forms: thumbprint drawing. We provide three ink pads — purple, green, and, of course, pink — plus a black felt-tip pen. And really that’s all you need to transform ordinary fingerprints into pretty kitties, poodle puppies, hairstyles, butterflies, a festive squad of cheerleaders, and more. Inside the book, along with our legendary instructions and inspiration, we include four tear-out greeting cards, glitter glue, and 100 tiny sequins.

Comes With: 3 ink pads (pink, purple, green), 1 black marker pen, glitter glue, sequins, tear-out greeting cards

The Most Amazing Thumb Doodles Book

Create awesome artwork with your thumb as a paintbrush and ink pads as paint. For the finishing touch, add some personality with a few pen strokes. All these tools (except the fingers) come with the book in a convenient, reclosable, storage case. And when your thumbs need a rest, give your other digits a chance: play Finger Four Square or Tic Tac Toe — now with real toes!

Comes With: 4 ink pads ( blue, orange, green, purple), 1 black marker pen

I’m a Klutz Brand Ambassador and received books to review, test out and share my results and will also be compensated for my time. This doesn’t affect my opinion of the brand at all because I’ve loved using Klutz for years!!!

Truvia’s Natural Sweetener Apple Crisp Recipe

November 4, 2012 by Momstart 17 Comments

I’m so excited to be a Truvia brand ambassador and share fabulous recipes with you. I’ve been in quite a baking mood lately and substituting Truvia into recipes in the place of sugar and it’s been working out great. Here is a recipe I found on the Truvia website under recipes.

Truvia’s Natural Sweetener Apple Crisp Recipe

Ingredients

Filling
4 cups apples, sliced
½ cup water
1 Tbsp + 2 ¼ tsp Truvia^® natural sweetener spoonable
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
Nonstick cooking spray

Crisp:
1 cup rolled oats
1 Tbsp + 2 ¼ tsp Truvia^® natural sweetener spoonable
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ cup butter, melted
1 ½ Tbsp brown sugar
⅛ tsp salt

Directions:

1. Assemble all ingredients; preheat oven to 375° F.
2. For filling, place apples in a large bowl; sprinkle with water, Truvia^® natural sweetener, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg; toss to coat the fruit.
3. Spray 9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray; place apple mixture in dish.
4. For crisp, in a separate small bowl, combine oats, Truvia^® natural sweetener, flour, cinnamon, melted butter, brown sugar and salt; stir to form crumbly mixture.
5. Sprinkle crumb mixture on top of apples.
6. Bake 35–40 minutes until apples are tender.

Photo, and recipe are from Truvia and I’m a paid ambassador sharing recipes with you for the next six months.

Pledge to ‘Always Smile’ National Orthodontic Health Month #DamonDivas

October 31, 2012 by Momstart 10 Comments

As a Damon Diva I get to share what’s going on with the company behind the Damon® System, Ormco. They are celebrating National Orthodontic Health Month in October by spreading awareness of the value of a healthy, beautiful smile. You are invited to visit www.damonbraces.com/promo/s4l-pledge and take the pledge to “Always Smile.” For every pledge received, Ormco will donate one dollar to the Smile for a Lifetime Foundation (S4L), a nonprofit organization that provides orthodontic care and free braces to underserved children with financial challenges and orthodontic needs.

“With millions of Americans interested in improving their smiles, Orthodontic Health Month is the perfect opportunity to promote the difference a straight smile can make in a person’s confidence, health and life,” said Vicente Reynal, president of Ormco. “Smiles bring value to life experiences and with advanced solutions like Ormco’s Damon® System that offers virtually invisible, comfortable and fast treatment, image-conscious adults, teens and kids can quickly achieve a new, beautiful smile.”

The Damon System has treated more than three million patients worldwide. Available in a virtually invisible Damon Clear™ option, the orthodontic treatment uses low-friction passive self-ligating brackets, hi-tech light-force archwires and minimally invasive protocols for remarkable patient results. Ormco also offers Insignia™, an advanced digital treatment solution that utilizes a combination of powerful 3-D treatment planning software and customized appliances, enabling orthodontists to provide faster treatment and more predictable results compared with traditional braces.

If you are interested in taking the smile pledge click here and Ormco will donate one dollar for the first 1,500 pledges received.

For more updates follow them on Facebook at Facebook.com/DamonSystemBraces and Facebook.com/InsigniaSmile, or Twitter at @DamonBraces.

I’m a Damon Diva and will receive treatment and compensation for my time.