Promo Writings Archives - A Day in Motherhood

Are you Moving this Summer? Compare Moving Companies and More on Unpakt.com + Discount Code

May 17, 2013 By Lori 2 Comments

**This is a sponsored post in partnership with Unpakt.com. See Disclosure information below.**

Summer is almost here! And so are some of the busiest moving months. With kids out of school, it is the perfect time to relocate for work, a new house or to be closer to family!

In the past, when I have moved, it has been a painstaking process to find the right movers, packers, truck rentals and more. I have spent many an hour on the phone or going from one website to another asking for estimates. And most companies got the job because I got tired of it!

Well – FINALLY – there is a website that can help anyone moving simplify the process by comparing prices all in one!

Receive 5% instant cash back on your next move! Enter promo code: SPRING5 on Unpakt.com when booking and save. Must book by 6/30/13.

Unpakt.com is the FIRST web app/digital marketplace/price comparison site for moving services! And it is about time! Available coast to coast, the site was recently featured in The NY Times, Forbes, TechCrunch, Real Simple, The Huffington Post and so many more.

With Unpakt.com, you can compare moving companies, see customer reviews and get it all done in under an hour! No wonder it was named one of the Next Web’s Top 10 Apps for Home & Work.

All you do to get your perfect mover is enter your move information on the site. The site will give your your options. You can save your move information for later use or your can book your move right from the website! So easy!

Save time, money and your sanity by using Unpakt.com to plan and book your next move with a reputable moving company that others have given their opinion on!

**This is a sponsored post in partnership with Unpakt. All writings are my own. Please see my Disclosure Statement for more information.**

Filed Under: My Motherhood Blog, Promo Writings, Promo Writings Tagged With: compare moving companies, moving this summer, top 10 apps, unpakt, unpakt.com

Saturday, May 18, 2013 is National Learn to Swim Day! Sign Up for Lessons NOW!

May 17, 2013 By Lori 1 Comment

A few weeks back I told you about the awesome website, TeachMetoSwim.com! Now it is time to really get into it because Memorial Day is FAST approaching and we need to teach our kids to SWIM!

Saturday, May 18, 2013 is National Learn to Swim Day!

What does that mean to you? 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.

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.

I, for one, could not be more excited! My kids are with their dad tomorrow- he is taking them to the beach – but our neighborhood pool is now open and I will be taking them next week to help them along this year! Luckily, I have all of the AWESOME swim gear from Swimways to help me teach my kids to be better swimmers!

And I LOVE the TeachMetoSwim.com website fro helpful tips, ideas and more! 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.

It is not too late to gather your neighbors, friends and family to get everyone excited about pool safety this summer! Are you doing something special on National Learn to Swim Day? Tell me about it! I want to see pictures too!

**I am a SwimWays Ambassador. I will receive products for review, information and special materials in order to share with you. All opinions and writings are my own. Please see my Disclosure Statement for more information.**

Filed Under: My Motherhood Blog, Promo Writings, Promo Writings Tagged With: national learn to swim day, pool safety tips, swimways, teach your kids to swim

Getting Zesty in the Kitchen with Kraft’s Zesty Italian Anything Dressing & Giveaway #GetZesty

May 13, 2013 By Lori 27 Comments

Below is a sponsored post in partnership with Mom It Forward and Kraft. Kraft sent me a bottle of the product to review, but they haven’t reviewed or approved what I wrote below. All opinions and writings are my own. Please see below for further Disclosure information.

If you have had the television on at all then you have seen the hunka hunka burning Zest coming from the spokesmodel for Kraft’s Zesty Italian Anything Dressing. In know it has made me want to eat my vegetables with a side of some Zest!

Broccoli, anyone?

I think I’ll be following him on Twitter at @theZestyGuy. See you there? LOL

Ok, I promise I’l move off the Zesty Hot Guy….. well, right after I check out this video below:

Alright, I’ll move on….

Right after I tell you that you can make your friends day and send a ZestyGram to them right from the Zesty guy Website! Yep – send them a Thank You, a Happy Birthday and even an “I’m thinking of you” message right from the page. They will love you forever. And ever. And ever.

Kraft has always been a go-to name in my house. And now that they are zesting up my kitchen, I am even more excited to add a little zest to my everyday meals. From veggies to chicken, Kraft’s Zesty Italian Dressing adds a kick that makes everything just a little more intense!

Check out some awesome recipes with the Zesty Guy on Facebook!

Like Zesty Italian Chicken Salad or Primavera Pasta Toss. Get more awesome recipes on Kraft’s Website too! Perfect for those summer parties we are all planning! I am having a memorial Day fiesta and I will be using some of these recipes to impress my guests, fro sure!

Now, I wanted to do some fancy recipe for you. Like toss some chicken, veggies and Zesty Italian Dressing in a pot and grill it up. But I am on a serious veggie kick. And in an effort not to get bored with that, I have been using this tangy, delicious, oh so awesome dressing to keep me entertained.

I mean, come on…. a little Zesty to veggies helps the healthiness go down, right?

Make sure you check out the Zesty Guy and create some of the awesome recipes, send your pal a ZestyGram, or just screen shot for your new favorite screen saver!

To help you get a little Zest into your kitchen, (1) one of my readers will WIN their very own bottle of Kraft’s Zesty Italian Anything Dressing. I’m sorry, but the Zesty Guy won’t be the one delivering it.

Just enter below and GOOD LUCK!

review disclaimer

How to Create a Springtime Flower Pot with Delicious Tyson Chicken Nuggets

April 30, 2013 By Lori 2 Comments

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Tyson. #cbias #SocialFabric #SpringtimeNuggets

I don’t think there is a mother out there that does not know that letting your kids get creative with their food adds to the success of them actually eating it! I have two out of three kids that are picky. I learned a long time ago that letting them play with their food and have fun with it increased the likelihood of them actually consuming it!

One of the rare foods that I can make that will be eaten every time without fail is Tyson Chicken Nuggets. Seriously, even I help myself to a plate! These are the most flavorful, juiciest, more delicious nuggets on the market! And I am stocked at all times in my house. But I want them to try other things with them too. Like different dips and veggies and letting them create something fun can help me with my goals of all around healthier eating!

So, in the spirit of being so GRATEFUL that Spring has finally sprung, the girls and I headed to Walmart to find a fun way to play with our food. I, personally, wanted to try to get them to like some more ‘green’ things so I was on a secret mission. But they did not know this, of course!

As we walked in we noticed a tasting booth. I looked on the paperwork sitting there and realized it was for Tyson Chicken Nuggets! Right as I was leaving that area the woman who was running the booth said it would be set up in about an hour, And then she told me my kids could decorate nuggets right there in the store!! I was definitely sticking around for that one!

So my kids and I lazily shopped Walmart, picking up great deals on cute clothing and more. And then we headed to the gardening section to get flower pot inspiration!

We found the cutest pot and then added baking sticks and stickers to the cart! We also added Thousand Island dressing (which I have been trying to get them to eat for ever!) and two bags of Tyson Chicken Nuggets! The picking were slim in the Tyson area so it seems it is catching on that they are awesome!

See my entire shop and food art in my Google + Story below:

By the time we were finished, the Tyson Nugget tasting event was on! My kids ate a nugget quickly and then got to decorate one right there in the store! It was so fun!

In the spirit of springtime we headed home to create our own springtime fun!

How to make a Tyson Chicken Nuggets Flower Pot

First, line the interior of the pot with plastic wrap. We want the nuggets to be eatable after we are done with our masterpiece!

Load the flower put with nuggets to make ‘dirt’. Once that is done, you can stick the bakers sticks into them. Cut them into different sizes to make the flowers multi dimentional. I cut sticks even shorter for the pickle ‘greenery’.

When decorating the nuggets, I used ketchup, mustard, honey mustard and Thousand Island dressing for color. We squirted it on and let them sit for a little while to ‘dry’ so we could minimize the dripping effect!

While we worked, Sarah made the cutest ladybug to sit in our pot! She used one of the baker sticks to draw his face on! Very creative, I thought!

Once the toppings on the nuggets were somewhat dry, we gently stuck them to the sticks. We put the little pickles on the smaller sticks, added Sarah’s ladybug and we were done!

How did we do?

What are your ideas to make fun springtime Tyson Chicken Nuggets for your kids? I am always looking for new ideas! Get more fun ideas doe decorating on the Tyson Springtime website as well!

CONNECT WITH TYSON

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**I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Tyson. #cbias #SocialFabric #SpringtimeNuggets. All opinions and writings are my own. Please see my Disclosure Statement for more information.**

Filed Under: My Motherhood Blog, Promo Writings, Promo Writings, Recipes Tagged With: Chicken Nuggets, Kid friendly meal, Nuggets, Snack, Springtime decorating, Tyson Chicken Nuggets, Tyson Nuggets

Provella Probiotic Dietary Supplements Help Us Moms Take Care of Us Too + a $6 Off Coupon AND 5 Winner Giveaway Expired

April 18, 2013 By Lori 11 Comments

I think we all do it. We women get so caught up in taking care of other people that we put ourselves on the back burner. Unfortunately, it can be years after raising kids and taking care of spouses that we start to put ourselves first again. I, for one, am just now starting to feel like I am 40. I am… but until recently, I have enjoyed feeling youthful, even when I was at my heaviest. But small changes, like my hair starting to grey and my knees starting to hurt, are creeping in.

One thing I have noticed is that my digestive health seems to be a little less regular than it used to be. And I have noticed more heartburn, though I am not completely sure it is related. I have done some research, though, on how digestive health in women is often ignored and how it can cause issues for years to come. And as I have experienced the disruption, my ‘female’ time has become less predictable as well. Apparently, the two are related when it comes to good and bad bacteria in my system.

The thought of taking care of me now to prevent future issues is a given for me. In addition, having to worry about one less thing because the balance of my – well, gut – is taken care of is attractive as well! So I was intrigued to receive and learn about Provella Probiotic Dietary Supplement created for women.

Take a second to look at the video below that explains things a little better and why taking Provella can be so good for us:

I have personally been taking Provella for a little over a week now and though it is too early to tell if it is doing what it should, it has been so easy for me to remember to take the one pill a day. And there seems to be no aftertaste or residual effects from taking it.

Each ingredient in Provella were specifically chosen to aid in the health of our female digestive and vaginal health. Provella is even gluten free and suitable for vegetarians. It is available at most pharmacies without a prescription. You can also get it at Drugstore.com at a great price!

Pick up your box today and use this awesome $6 OFF COUPON to save as well!

To help aid my awesome female readers in getting healthier and taking care of them too, Provella is generously offering (5) of my readers the chance to WIN a 30 day supply! Just enter below and GOOD LUCK!

**Open to US Residents ONLY, 18+. Giveaway ends April 23, 2013.**

**I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Provella™. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for participating. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please see my Disclosure statement for more information.** [Read more...]

Filed Under: Giveaway, My Motherhood Blog, Promo Writings, Promo Writings Tagged With: coupon for provella, digestive health, probiotioc, provella, provella probiotic, vaginal health, women's digestive products

Green Giant Veggie Chips & My Daughter’s Have a Hidden Talent {Video}

March 19, 2013 By Lori 1 Comment

Sometimes companies surprise me. Much as my children do. And when I am surprised, I love to share it with you.

Like the fact that my children can accomplish something I rarely can. Doing two things at once. Just check out their collective hidden talent of being able to swing and sing at the same time!

OK, so it is possible that lots of kids can do that but I still think they are pretty darn talented!

In any event. Green Giant – yes, the veggie people, have come up with some BIG surprises just for us. Like, did you ever think you would find them on the chip aisle?

Yes – busting at the seams happy to let you know that you can now get the awesome tasting Green Giant Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips in Zesty Cheddar AND Green Giant Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips in Sea Salt AND the regular Sweet Potato Chips, too. Don’t ask me my favorite. In the 2 nights it has taken for my to complete this post – computer issues (Grrrr) – I have eaten one bag a night.

What? They are good! Don’t judge until you try them!

They are crisp, flavorful and sitting right here! I blame Green Giant! I like the Cheddar. I mean the Sea Salt. I mean the Cheddar.

Anyway….

Check out the ‘stats’ on the healthier chips for you!

The Green Giant™ Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips – Zesty Cheddar Flavor are made with real vegetables, 17 grams of whole grain per serving (48g are recommended daily), and are naturally flavored.

The Green Giant™ Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips – Sea Salt Flavor are made with real sweet potatoes and made with 14 grams of whole grain. Plus, they contains 40 percent less fat than regular potato chips*!

*Green Giant Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips (6g per 28g serving) have 40 percent less fat than regular potato chips (10g per 28g serving).

YOU can have some fun with Green Giant and their new Veggie Chips too! Head over to their Facebook page and learn a little about people’s hidden talents! There are some seriously talented people out there, guys! And if you are one, your should submit yours too! Green Giant is featuring the most talented peeps on their page (which is HUGE!). So you could be discovered, get your own show, be rich and then be obligated to give me 10%.

OK, maybe not but anyone who has some talent should still show it off! You can check out even more talented folks on the Green Giant YouTube channel too!

While you are on the Facebook page, make sure you check out the One GIANT Pledge where a veggie a day makes a happy people! You can get fun tips, track your veggie intake and more!

So now you know. My kids can sing and swing, you can get NEW (and yummy) Veggie Chips from Green Giant and you can submit your talent and track your veggie intake! How fun is that?

OH! And get a $.75 cent OFF coupon for the Veggie Chips on the Green Giant Facebook page too!

Enjoy!

**I received the products as a Clever Girls Collective Blogger. Thank you to The Green Giant™ for being a sponsor. Show the Giant your surprise talent atwww.facebook.com/greengiant. All opinions and wirtings are my own. Please see my Disclosure Statement for more information.**

Filed Under: My Motherhood Blog, Promo Writings, Promo Writings Tagged With: #AGiantSurprise, green giant, green giant veggie chips, veggie chips

Easter Egg Decorating is Made Easy with Heinz Vinegar & PAAS + Donate $1 to Make A Wish By Making a Virtual Egg + 3 FREE Heinz Coupon Giveaway Giveaway Expired

March 17, 2013 By Lori 2 Comments

Every March the girls and I gather our materials, sit around together and create fun and colorful Easter Eggs! We usually do it twice before Easter because we love doing it so much.

And every year, Heinz Vinegar and PAAS – the Easter Egg decorating kit company – donates to the Make*A*Wish Foundation. Make*A*Wish grants wishes to children who have life-threatening illnesses. Trips to Disney World, visits to long lost relatives… whatever that child wants and needs to have a special memory and escape the fear and uncertainty of their future.

This year, you can help Make*A*Wish reach their $25,000 goal by creating a virtual Easter Egg! Yes, for every egg created – and this is so super fun to do with your kids – $1 will be donated to Make*A*Wish now through March 31, 2013 up to $25,000!

How easy is that?

To help celebrate Easter and get everyone here in the ‘decorating’ spirit, the girls and I sat down and did our first batch of eggs this week!

Creating super cute, colorful Easter eggs is super easy! The main ingredient for getting vibrant, colorful eggs is Heinz Vinegar! Yep. It is that easy!

Years ago someone turned me onto Heinz for egg decorating and I have used it ever since! It makes the PAAS Easter Egg tablets from their variety of kits super bright and it covers the egg completely.

This year, PAAS has come out with even more awesome ways to get that super special egg! And I was lucky enough to get to try a ton of them out with the kids!

Now, I have to say, I am IN LOVE with the Dye Cups! These little things are perfect for little hands and accident prone moms – ME! Instead of hunting in my cabinet for the perfect cup and bowl to hold the egg as it is getting colored, you fill the egg shaped -genius, right? – cup to the line with Heinz Vinegar (except with the color pink – it comes out better with water the instructions say) – let the color tablet dissolve and put in the egg.

Within minutes, the eggs are turning colors and being beautiful and all ready to decorate!

My girls and I – and my neighbors ‘stepson’ – all had a ton of fun with all of the colors!

Next, it was on to decorating! From the Awesome Decorating Doodles that kids can use to write and draw on eggs with ease to the super fun and inspirational, Touch of Velvet Kit where you can make your eggs have 3D,super soft velvet, designs, PAAS Kits have it all!

There are so many NEW kits and fun to have in 2013! Check them all out and pick them up online or in your favorite store!

With Heinz Vinegar and PAAS Egg Decorating Kits, we had so much fun that the girls decided to hand deliver decorated eggs to all of the neighbors! They LOVED it and it make me feel great to see them thinking of others!

Don’t forget to decorate your Virtual Egg for the Make*A*Wish foundation!

To help you along, 3 of my readers who decorate a virtual egg will WIN a Heinz Vinegar FREE Coupon!! Yep! Just enter below and GOOD LUCK!

**I received the products discussed below as a Child’s Play Blogger. All opinions and writings are my own. Please see my Disclosure Document for more information.** [Read more...]

Filed Under: Giveaway, Product Review, Product Reviews, Promo Writings, Reviews Tagged With: donate to make a wish, easter, easter egg decorating, easter eggs, heinz, heinz vinegar, make a wish, paas

Quaker Snacks and Oatmeal Makes for Easy Healthy Choices

March 16, 2013 By Lori 2 Comments

My family and I are on the go. School, friends, activities and more keep us busy and constantly looking for healthy options. I am not afraid to say that I rely on packaged foods on the really crazy days!

So I love when products like Quaker Oats comes out with amazing foods that are healthy too but aimed at quick get and convenience.

Like Quaker’s new Perfect Portions Oatmeal packs! I LOVE these! First of all, Quaker Oatmeal is just good, right? With classic flavors like Maple and Cinnamon, you just can not go wrong. My favorite for years has been the Maple with bananas in it! My kids like the Cinnamon with peaches too!

But really, I don’t have the patience for little packets and those huge containers drive me nuts! So the new resealable, perfect portions packs are awesome! I just pour the serving I want – 1/4 cup for the kids, a half for me, add milk or water and wala, the perfect serving for a fast, healthier breakfast!

Check out the ‘Cooking and Recipes‘ section of the Quaker Website for great oatmeal ideas!

But more than easy and delicious breakfasts, Quaker has an entire line of oatmeal inspired products that are great for families!

At only 180 calories, the NEW BIG Chewy Granola Bars are a huge hit with me! I love the regular ones, don’t get me wrong, but I always feel like I want another one a little while later. These are the perfect size for a snack for me. In fact, if you have a tween or growing teenager, these are awesome for those school lunches or after school snacks!

But my absolute new favorite item from the expanding line of Quaker is the Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies! My goodness these are good! With 10 grams of Whole Grains per serving, these packs of 4 are the perfect sweet tooth satisfaction!

With 7 packs in a box at only 170 calories in a pack, I feel good about letting my kids split a pack or choosing these for myself when I have a craving! Plus, they are just darned GOOD!

Next time you are at the store, check the shelves for Quaker products as a healthier alternative for your family! I bet you will love them too!

**I received these products as a BzzAgent.com Blogger. All opinions and writings are my own. Please see my Disclosure Statement for more information.**

Filed Under: My Motherhood Blog, Promo Writings, Promo Writings Tagged With: quaker, quaker big granola bars, quaker cookies, Quaker Oatmeal, quaker perfect portions

Store, Drink and Travel with Glass & Plastic Bottles from eBottles.com

March 16, 2013 By Lori Leave a Comment

Let’s face it, we all have a use for bottles. Whether it be carrying a reusable water bottle to help reduce trash or bottling our favorite homemade salsa’s and other dips, we have bottles all over the house!

I use them to split up cleaning products in the bathrooms and store smaller amounts of juices and drinks to get them out of the large, takes up half my refrigerator, containers!

But getting bottles that you need, in the sizes and material you need, like glass bottles and plastic bottles, can be hard. Especially is you need a lot for canning or handing out gifts to friends and neighbors.

Recently, I was turned on to eBottles.com. A website with every type of bottle that you can imagine. From ribbed plastic bottles for water to oil bottles for your kitchen to bottles for your homemade salad dressings, eBottles.com has them all. And when you purchase bulk from this wholesale store, you also get a discount per order!

I am trying to get my girls lined up for the summer. I can’t really afford to take them anywhere so I am planning on making it a craft summer again! So I want to hit the craft store and get them colors and markers and stickers and paint and such. But I need a better place to store them than in a bag that they can all go through.

So I was thinking of these cute little jars to put things in. I can put everything from those little eyelets for their animals to the pom poms for fun to glue sticks and more. And I can screw the top on, stack them up, and have whichever craft item I need ready, neatly, in one place should they need them!

I love this idea and as I scour the site, I have even more!

What recipes, crafts or organizational needs do you have that eBottles.com can help you with? I bet you can find something to help you at prices better than you find in the stores!

Filed Under: My Motherhood Blog, Promo Writings, Promo Writings Tagged With: eBottles, eBottles.com, gallon bottles, glass bottles, plastic bottles, spice bottles

My 40 Year Old Skin Got an Anti Aging Update from Olay, Cover Girl & Pantene + My Girl’s Night Out

March 13, 2013 By Lori 7 Comments

I have always been proud of my age. I was happy to be 30 because it meant I was done with my 20′s. And I celebrated 40 because the 30′s were awesome with kids, but terrible with marriage. So I am thrilled to be 40 and single!

Until now, I have not been terribly concerned about my skin. I have been lucky to have fairly clear and unblemished skin my whole life. I attribute it to being so grateful that my life turned out OK vs the way I was leading it as a teen, that my worry lines never appeared.

Well, now, at 40, I am noticing some changes. And I am not upset about it, but I am thinking I need a little help learning how to take care of my skin so I continue to look presentable to the public. So when I heard that I could go to my local Walmart and talk to a Beauty Consultant about Olay, Pantene and Cover Girl products for Free, I was all over it!

I grabbed my kids and headed to Walmart with the hopes that I would walk out knowing what I needed to continue to look like me.

I had no problem finding Cici, the Beauty Consultant. She was front and center on the beauty aisle and ready to take 20 minutes out of her day to help me out! After meeting the kids we talked about my skin, how dry it has become and how little time I really have to take care of it.

As we went from product to product, I realized that having a multi step program to help deal with my dryness, my aging and my time stress, was a lot easier than I though. Especially when Olay has products like the new CC Cream! CC stands for color and correction and this anti aging product is now my morning routine! Not only does it contain SPF 15, something every woman needs, but it acts as a gentle toner to make my bare skin look more even and moisturized! I absolutely love it!

We went on to talk about rich moisturizers that I would be able to wear any time and that could help counter the dryness in my face. I have seen commercial after commercial for Olay Regenerist and have always been curious about it. But when I get to the store I forget and walk right by the beauty aisle. Well, this day I got it.

See my entire shop and night out in my Google + Story below:

This microsculpting cream has – in conjunction with the other products – changed my skin in less than a week. I swear to you, I can tell the difference. My skin is softer, smoother and I don’t get that tight, dry feeling that makes me want to slather myself in lotion. I seriously wish they made this for the whole body!

As we strolled around, we picked up some Olay Fresh Effects Exfoliating Cleaner – awesome! – and, because women of my age start to experience eye lash loss and dark circles and such, some Olay Regenerist Micro-sculpting eye creme and lash serum duo. This thing is so cool! The cream helps with the dark circles and delicate skin of the eye lid and the lash serum helps strengthen and extend your lashes. All necessary to stay beautiful!

Then we had to stop and get some Cover Girl Nail polish! I love the bright, spring colors out now and my kids went nuts! So we picked blue…. seems totally appropriate for my crazy girls!

One more issue that I needed help with was hair loss and thinning. Since 40, it seems, my hair is falling out by the handful and thinning and breaking as well. It could be the divorce or it could be a combination. So when Cici told me that the Pantene AgeDefy Starter Kit could help me strengthen my hair, I grabbed a box and resisted buying 5. I’ve used it twice and it is so easy. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Armed with a new excitement over my face, excited to have expert advice, I headed home to get ready to take four of my girlfriends to dinner. Because, let’s face it, there is no better way to spend an evening than with women you love, appreciate and respect.

I decided it was high time I pay them back for all of the unwavering support over the last year. So I got myself moisturized and gussied up and looking suave and we headed to a favorite Hibachi Grill in the neighborhood!

A night of laughter, fun and cookies followed and I happily celebrated having strong, beautiful woman in my life. And just as I will now focus on my and getting myself back to the beautiful woman I know I am, I will continue to nourish my friendships and grow those as well!

Head to Walmart this Friday, Saturday or Sunday and look for your Beauty Consultant. She will not only guide and educate you with what you need, but she will do so in a way that makes you so excited to take care of you, that you will form habits that can only benefit you for years to come!

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®, CoverGirl and Olay. #BeautyScoop #cbias #SocialFabric. All opinions and writings are my own. Please see my Disclosure Statement for more information.

Filed Under: My Motherhood Blog, Promo Writings, Promo Writings Tagged With: covergirl, Date Night, Expert Beauty Consultant, Girls night out, make up, Olay, Walmart Beauty, Walmart Beauty Consultant

‘Share Breakfast’ With Kellogg’s and Enhance Your Community #ShareBreakfast

March 12, 2013 By Lori 1 Comment

Kellogg’s makes some of my favorite cereals out there. Frosted Mini Wheats, Frosted Flakes and so many more. I absolutely love them and my kids and I enjoy them several times a week.

Every years, National Breakfast Week happens between March 4 and March 8. But all year round, Kellogg’s helps to serve breakfast to kids and families that need the help. And it is so incredibly easy for you to help them too!

Just in time for the season of giving, Kellogg’s® and celebrity dad and actor Taye Diggs have partnered to share breakfast with children in need as part of the third consecutive Share Breakfast initiative. Starting today, families across the country can share a breakfast with a child in need by simply sharing a public service announcement featuring Diggs on ShareBreakfast.com. For each view, share and comment, Kellogg’s will share breakfast.

How awesome is that? And so so easy for all of us to help!

Now, look. It may seem like an easy thing for a child to get a hold of a simple bowl of cereal in this country. But the truth is, and we all know it, it is a lot harder than we think. I, for onem started life wondering where my next meal was going to come from. If it were not for others, I might not have eaten much at all.

So to participate and help Kellogg’s in this endeavor is simply an easy choice for me. In fact, I would think anyone could understand the need and appreciate Kellogg’s efforts.

Kellogg’s sent me a “community breakfast” pack so I could spread the word to my neighbors and friends. Unfortunately, it arrived right as everyone was headed out for Spring Break so I won’t be able to get everyone together until next week. But, I did take advantage of the fact that my neighbors kids were home – and probably starving to eat – and so I took breakfast to them and her and her dad. After all, no matter how old kids are or how much they are doing that day, they really need to have a healthy breakfast every morning!

It was a nice pre-set up for a breakfast I am going to do next week when everyone is back in school. And the boys were appreciative of the yummy cereals.

How do you share breakfast in your community? Be sure to head over to the website and share in any way you can to help Kellogg’s Share Breakfast with those who need it

Share Breakfast website.

Watching and sharing the Great Start Videos on ShareBreakfast.com

Sharing the public service announcement with friends

Sharing your “share” on your Facebook page

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**I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Kellogg’s. I received a product sample as well as a promotional item as a thank-you for participating. All opinions and writings are my own. Please see my Disclosure Statement for more information.**

Filed Under: My Motherhood Blog, Promo Writings, Promo Writings Tagged With: Kellogg's Cereal, Kellogg's Sharing Breakfast, kelloggs, Taye Diggs

Silver Spur Smoked Split Chicken Packs from Sam’s Saves Dinner for My Family

March 8, 2013 By Lori 5 Comments

“Oh my gosh, this chicken is SOOOO good!”

That is exactly what I said when I cut into the juicy, smoked goodness of Silver Spur Split Chicken packages that are at Sam’s Clubs nationwide now. Seriously, for precooked chicken that you just bake and enjoy, this is seriously delicious.

More than that,the time it saves me in preparing a healthy meal for my kids is invaluable! Because as a mom of three, meal time can get a little crazy.

Moreover, feeding picky kids is a challenge. Rarely can I find a meal that all three love and will eat. But one thing they DO love is chicken! However, defrosting chicken, seasoning it and then cooking it just takes way too much time. So any time savers I can use are awesome.

See my entire shop at Sam’s Club in my Google + Story:

Plus, we always, always seem to be on the go. Whether it is to an evening event or to get done and do homework, or family game or movie night, I just don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen anymore.

Last night, true to form, we had my daughter’s 1st Grade concert where she played the letter J – so FLIPPIN’ Cute, I might add – so we had less than an hour from her getting home from school, getting ready and eating dinner before we had to zip out again.

I opened my freezer, pulled out the Silver Spur Split Chicken, already fully cooked, and placed it on a baking rack at 350° and went off to get my daughter’s dressed. About 10 minutes before it was done, I opened a box of macaroni and cheese and cooked it up and then I threw some steam in a bag veggies in the microwave and dinner was ready!

“Oh my gosh, this chicken is SOOOO good!”

Yes, I repeat myself when things are surprisingly good!

The chicken came out perfectly! It is juicy, tender and me and my kids gobbled it up. You can totally tell it is slow smoked because you can taste that deliciously warm flavor of the process. It is a little peppery too to add yet another layer of flavor.

If you don’t believe how good it was, ask my kids. My KIDS actually passed up eating the family favorite mac and cheese and opted for the chicken instead! I am so not kidding! Taste it for yourself before you buy it THIS SATURDAY AT SAMS!

Sam’s Clubs in Texas are set to have demo’s from 2-4pm CST Saturday, March 9, 2013 so that you can taste this awesome chicken for yourself! Just head over and enjoy the tasting and then pick up a pack – or 5 – and have it on hand for those busy night when you just have to have a great dinner but don’t have the time!

Now, I will have to see your there because my left over Silver Spur Split Chicken is ready and I am seriously hungry!

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**I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and the makers of Silver Spur Chicken. #cbias #SocialFabric #MealsTogether. All opinions and writings are my own. Please see my Disclosure Document for more information.**

Filed Under: My Motherhood Blog, Promo Writings, Promo Writings Tagged With: #Mealstogether, Family Meals, Food Pairings, Precooked Chicken, Sam's club

Relieve Your Little Ones Cold Symptoms Naturally with Little Remedies®

March 6, 2013 By Lori 1 Comment

I have little kids. All are under the age of 6 and all of them are in school or preschool. So it would be unrealistic for me to think that I can get through cold and flu season without having the germs enter my house. And sure enough, this year was no different.

About two or three weeks ago, it came. First it hit me, causing weeks of hacking coughs and sneezes and then it hit my 3 year old. Now, I am not one to run my kids to the doctor for every little thing anymore {please ignore hospital trip for a bandaid – I blame the Doctors! LOL}, but I used to be.

When my oldest was a baby, I was at the Doctor’s for every little thing. Once I realized that was totally unrealistic – and expensive – I learned that over the counter medications were mostly prescribed for me anyway. Thus began my start with Little Remedies®.

The Little Remedies® line includes products to combat cold and flu, allergies, and stomach ailments, and also offers one of the only brand name fever reducers for infants that is currently on the market – Little Remedies for Fevers® Infant Fever/Pain Reliever.

I found Little Remedies® years ago when I was scouring the children’s cold and flu section at the store to ease my, then babies, sneezing and fever. I likes that it is specially designed to be low in dye and extras for little bodies. And it works. Which is important, of course!

I know that it works because I still use it. In fact, then little Megan came down with her cold a few weeks ago, I tucked her in to watch her favorite show and gave her Little Remedies for Colds Honey Elixir. Safe for children 12 months and older, her little cough went away and she eventually dozed off and slept well. If she had not had the cough relief she would have been awake and miserable and it would have taken a lot longer to get her sweet smile back on her face!

The Little Remedies® product line was created by a pharmacist and father, who was tired of searching for a product to give his kids that was effective and made with ingredients he could feel good about. Of course, we, as moms, want to prevent illness to begin with. Check out these tips on how to help prevent colds and flu!

Scrub-a-dub-dub: Make sure to wash hands frequently and encourage kids to follow suit by putting
out fun, kid-friendly soap dispensers. This is a simple way to stop spreading germs.

Crowd control: Make sure your child’s friends aren’t sick when they get together to play and vice
versa – you don’t want your child to get their friends sick, either.

Cover up: Remember to cover your mouth when you cough – and suggest to your little ones that they
sneeze or cough into their forearm or elbow so as not to get germs on their hands.

Bundle up: Before heading out, make sure that everyone is dressed to stay warm against the cold
weather.

Disinfect your world: Clean high traffic surfaces in your house regularly to rid them of germs.

Next time you are at the store, be sure to stock up on Little Remedies for your young child. Especially the all important Little Remedies® For Fevers™ Infant Fever/Pain Reliever that temporarily reduces fever and minor aches and pains due to common cold, flu, headache and tooth aches!

I bet you will see that you feel better using this over the counter medication that contains no saccharin, alcohol, artificial flavors, artificial coloring, dyes or harmful preservatives. I sure do!

**I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Little Remedies. I received product samples as well as a promotional item as a thank-you for participating. All opinions and writings are my own. Please see my Disclosure Statement for more information.**

Filed Under: My Motherhood Blog, Promo Writings, Promo Writings Tagged With: cold and flu season, little remedies, natural toddler medication

Can I Own my Own Small Business and Still Plan for Retirement?

March 1, 2013 By Lori 4 Comments

As you guys may know, this blog and the tentacles of opportunities that have come from it are my job, my career and my future. Thus, my kids benefit from it being successful and growing. And right now, every penny goes to supporting my kids.

On the flip side, I need to benefit it from it in the future. When it is long gone but the success of it is still needed to support me. So, lately, I have been wondering: Can I own my own small business and still plan for retirement?

My goal is to retire when everyone else does at 65. So I have 25 years and no current retirement funds to fall back on when the time comes. So, lately, as I have been trying to get my single life in order, I have been curious about the types of Retirement Plans there are for me and how to save with them.

Lucky for me, a great source of information for retirement questions, calculators and more are available from Genworth Financial. So, as I research, I started there!

I’ve learned that the first thing I have to do is sit down and really set up a plan and complete a living worksheet. I need to see what my expenses are, my earnings and my flexibility to save a certain amount. I need to know how much I might need come that time to live comfortable. It is a hard thing to think about but it has to be done and if I want to reach my goals, I’d better start sooner than later.

I took some time to read an article, Tips for Planning Your Retirement as well and really learned a lot. Like saving as much as I can as early as you can, hence my desire to get this going ASAP! And once I do get it started, not investing too heavily in one asset or another, despite the fact that real growth is happening in one area or another.

Regardless of what I do, I have to do something. I have to have a retirement account, an IRA or some other asset that I can put into monthly that will grow for my years to come!

What kind of retirement plan do you have if you are a small business owner? I’d love to hear how you are planning too!

Information for this post is sourced from Genworth Financial in partnership with the SheHeard Influencer Network.” All writings and opinions are my own. Please see my Disclosure Statement for more information.

Filed Under: My Motherhood Blog, Promo Writings, Promo Writings Tagged With: genworth financial, planning for retirement, retirement, small business

I created an Orange Mocha Coffee Treat with International Delight Light Iced Coffee + Get a Coupon

March 1, 2013 By Lori 2 Comments

I know you all know this but I must shout it from the roof tops once more for good measure. I.Love.Coffee.

It is the absolutely first thing I make in the morning and the drink I go to in the afternoons for a pick me up. A while back, a snazzy new, awesome, delicious, affordable, beats the heck out of spending $4 a pop at the coffee shop, product hit shelves. And now, because they really like me. They really, really like me!, International Delight now has the LIGHT versions of their creamy Iced Coffee drinks on shelves.

And get this…. 100 Calories Per Serving!

I KNOW!

Now, I love the original recipe, I do. But the caloric intake every day – yes, I like to have a cup every day – was not friendly to my waistline. So I had to curb it and only have a cup every few days or so. Which, if you have ever had this iced coffee drink, is really, REALLY, hard!

So when I saw that the same great taste and flavors – Mocha and Vanilla – were available with 1/3 fewer calories but still make with Arabica beans and less than $4 a carton, mama grabbed the kids and made a beeline to Walmart.

Sure enough, there it sat, as if waiting for me to ask it to come home with me, so I grabbed two cartons. Two delicious, savory, spoil myself every afternoon having an Iced Coffee moment, cartons.

I was so happy. So, happy, in fact, that I got home with my cartons, opened up the Vanilla, poured a 100 calorie cup over some ice and sat, savoring, while my children knocked over all the piled of newly folded laundry. Someone, it did not bother me that much!

See my entire shop below in my Google+ Story:

As with most things, I like to change up the basics some. International Delight is no different. I like to add things to it, make it pretty, and give those expensive chains a run for their money! So I was looking around the other day and came across and Orange Mocha coffee recipe. For some reason, I am all about citrus these days and this recipe looked amazing!

But I wanted to try it with my International Delight Iced Coffee too. However, seeing as the benefit of the light version is to consume LESS calories, I did not want to add a bunch of stuff to it. So adding some low calorie Orange Juice seemed like a no brainer.

I got to work.

Now, sometimes Lori thinks outside of the box so I made 2 drinks. Thinking that using Vanilla Iced Coffee would give the drink a cremesicle kind of taste. But that really did not work so, in the end, the Orange Mocha won for taste!

Lori’s Modified Mocha Orange Iced Coffee

1 Cup International Delight Light Iced Coffee (100 calories)
2 Tablespoons of Orange Juice (about 20 calories)
Packet of Splenda (0 calories)
Dusting of cocoa powder (2 calories -maybe?)
An orange slice (ummm…. LOL)

Mix ice, the coffee and orange juice together and top with the garnishes.

So easy, so fun and really…. delicious!

Adding citrus to the drink can make it tart but the Splenda offsets it. So I happily enjoyed my 122 calorie drink – maybe – and scoffed at the 400+ calories drinks that sat at the coffee house costing more than the entire carton of International Delight that will last me a week or more!

I know you guys are coffee lovers too, so the next time you are at Walmart, check the refrigerated section shelves for the NEW Light version of International Delight. Drink it straight, dress it up, share it with friends…. and enjoy. You deserve it!

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**I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and WhiteWave #CBias #SocialFabric. All opinions and writings are my own. Please see my Disclosure statement for more information.**

Filed Under: Coupons, My Motherhood Blog, Promo Writings, Promo Writings Tagged With: International Delight, Light Iced Coffee, Low-Sugar Coffee, orange mocha iced coffee, Reduced Calories, Walmart

Planning for my Future as a Single Mom: How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

February 19, 2013 By Lori 4 Comments

With my divorce pending and becoming final in about six weeks, I have had to take a long, hard look at my future and the future of my kids. Sure, if something happened to me, they would go to their father, but what about their college educations and weddings and things that could literally ruin a family trying to pay for three kids at once?

And what if nothing does happen to me and I am solely responsible for cars and college and weddings? It is more plausible that things will fall in my court.

So, lately, I have been trying to figure out just how much life insurance I need, how much I need to put into college funds and how much I need to be saving in order to be there for my girls when they need me. And yes, I have heard the argument that they should pay for everything themselves. I agree to an extent but want to help if I can. It is my nature and these are my kids that I want to plan to help in the future.

I love that there are tools and companies out there – like Genworth Financial – now that can help me understand why women need life insurance, even if we are stay at home moms and with no current income. So I have been trying to decide, based on my income, how much per month I need to set aside for future events. I can even choose life insurance that pays out while I am still around to enjoy my kids!

The ‘experts’ say by the time I am done with all of my number crunching I should be putting away almost 15% for three kids. Now, realistically, I do have to feed my kids, so that will not be happening. But I am going to start with 6- 10% and spread it out. I don’t need all the cable channels, after all. I am hoping that when the time comes I will be the back up my kids need to start out their adult lives on a debt-free foot.

And if they all drop out of school and become rock stars, I’ll just have that much more to fly to Tahiti on! So, we all win!

What about you? As a single parent do you plan for these events? Or is it all we can do just to keep our head above water?

Check out some more of the awesome tools online, like the calculator above, and get some help reaching your goals!