From the category archives:
Cover of Studio Photobook
PhotoWorks has released this great, easy way to create a photobook! I know that there a lot of different offers for photobooks, so it can become confusing with what is a good price. Many photobooks are made not hardcover, so the pricing is deceptive. With Mother’s Day around the corner, if you are looking for a high quality book, this is it.
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I have been trying to eat better. By better, I don’t mean like less chips and crackers. I mean by paying attention to what I am actually eating. I have heard over and over that it is too hard to stay to budget and eat things that are good for you. I just don’t buy it. I haven’t gone all out organic, but I am trying to pay attention. I figure every better choice I make along the way,the better.
I am starting to pay attention to labels. So this Thanksgiving, I decided to try some recipes that used the “better” version of an item I already was using.
I started with my banana cake. One of the main ingredients in the banana cake was Whipped Topping. For years I have been using Cool Whip, when I found out it had the same ingredients as condom lube, well game over! Bye Bye Cool Whip.
So I reached out to a company called Peak Foods to see if they would be interested in letting me try their TRUwhip, as a subsitute. I told them I would try their product and review it honestly.
I like their ingredient list better:
Water, organic tapioca syrup, expeller-pressed palm kernel oil, organic cane sugar, organic palm kernel oil, contains less than 2% of each of the following: organic soy protein concentrate, sodium caseinate (milk protein), natural flavors, organic soy lecithin, xanthan gum, guar gum. Contains milk and soy.
The texture was about the same as other products. I did find that TRUwhip was slightly less sweet than the other. So the big test was how would my mini banana cakes turn out. This is something I have made time and again, so I would be able to tell if they were “off”.
The mini banana cakes turned out perfect, they just a tad less sweet, next time I will use a little extra sugar. I will take less sweet for zero transfat and no hydrogenated oils.
TRUwhip is currently available at Whole Foods and the pricing is competitive with other major brands.
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I am trying to kick a very bad diet soda habit. I have been trying for a long time. I know drinking 6 cans of diet soda a day is terrible for you. I switched from regular to diet when I put on the freshman 15 many years ago in college. Prior to that, I couldn’t stand the taste of artificial sweeteners. I guess over time you adjust to the taste, but it never really tasted good or sweet like sugar, actually somewhat bitter.
In the past I have tried Stevia leaf as a natural sweetener. It was WAY to sweet. I was afraid that Truvia would have that over-the-top sweetness too. Truvia is a natural, zero calorie sweetener made with rebiana, part of the stevia leaf, which is 200 times sweeter than sugar. I was a little fearful that Truiva would have that bold taste when I first took at sip. To my surprise, it wasn’t as nearly as sweet as I thought it would be.
Truvia is still plenty sweet. However, the sweetness is much less than Stevia and much crisper tasting. I can’t think of a better way to describe it. Some things should be tasted in a recipe, but the recipe should not taste like the ingredient. Stevia is one of those ingredients that if I put it in a cake to sweeten it, the cake tasted like Stevia in the form of a cake. Truvia does not have this same quality. It just sweetens what you are baking or eating.
Even though I continued to drink diet soda sweetened with artificial sweeteners for all these years, I know there are potential risks. I love that Truvia is from a natural plant. Although, it is not quite as sweet at Stevia, I must use less of it then suggested. The box indicates that one package of Truvia is the same as 2 teaspoons of sugar. I am going to say that I can get by with using just a half a package of Truvia in my drinks. This is not a problem, less money I have to spend to get the same desired results.
As aside note, I thought it was interesting that Truvia’s packages are the only sweetener that used food grade inks.
So I went from pink to blue to yellow and I am now team Green!
I plan on making this great recipe this weekend you can check it out HERE.
Truvia is giving FIVE For the Mommas winners a Truvia Giftpack consisting of a Reusable Tote, Truvia and gardening gloves! To enter, simply tell me what recipe I am going to make (hint you have to read the review to find out!)
Rules: Open to U.S. Residents, 18 years & Older. Giveaway ends12/01/09 at 11:59pm. Winner will be notified via email. Winner is responsible for responding within 72 hours or a new winner will be picked. The email will come from: info@forthemommas.com. Please make sure this is marked as a non spam email.
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Even more, I love quality clothing at a reasonable price . Cute baby clothes at a reasonable price, I can’t help myself.
I am all about my little girl having the cutest clothing, so when I saw this First Impression layette set, I thought it was so adorable. I was happy to add it to little Hailee’s clothing collection. Even my husband loved it!
The duckies and yellow make it a very neutral outfit and can be used for both boys or girls. The clothing is very soft. All of the colors stayed vibrant and it held up very good even after washing. The bib got stained while she was eating and it came out by just washing it with her normal Dreft detergent.
The nicest thing about this particular set is it can be used at any time during the year because it has so many different pieces to it. You can use just the onesie in the summer, or you can put the pants onsie and hat on for winter and the sleeper can be used for winter or the cool summer nights.
The set is a little big on Hailee, but I can’t wait until she can wear the whole set together! This is definitely a very adorable outfit – I would highly recommend First Impression Layettes to anyone who is looking for a layette set for a baby shower, a newborn gift or even for your own little one. First Impressions is available exclusive at Macy’s. This high quality, affordable line starts at just $9.99. A just right price for new moms with great quality!
If you are like me, and like baby’s clothes to be versatile and cute, check out Macy’s for First Impressions clothing line.
I am excited to host my first giveaway, First Impression has so graciously offered one lucky For the Mommas reader a complete layette set!
To enter, simply fill out the form below telling me what you look for most in your baby (or when you shop for a baby) clothes!
Rules: Open to U.S. Residents, 18 years & Older. Giveaway ends 11/23/09 at 11:59pm. Winner will be notified via email. Winner is responsible for responding within 72 hours or a new winner will be picked. The email will come from: info@forthemommas.com. Please make sure this is marked as a non spam email.
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When I saw this toy, that is immediately what came to mind. A matchbox that went together like Legos made out of Tinker Toys. You get the building aspect of Legos, the fun car play of matchbox and the creative play of Tinker Toys, without buying all three.
I have never seen anything like it before, I was intrigued. My husbands initial response was the same as mine, that is just cool. He said it reminded him of the toys he used to make as a kid with his Dad. My 7 year old son’s response was simply “That is wicked”. Translation: This toy is really cool!
The Automoblox Mini line is a scaled down version of the traditional Automoblox car. The Mini line of cars have a universal connector system that enables the a quick interchange of part – you can create one big car from all three, your imagination is the limits!
Evan spent an hour taking three of these cars apart making different variations of the car. He was totally enthralled with it. He kept saying “Mom, look what I made!” He even was able to go and register his car on Automoblox’s website . He likes to race them across the kitchen floor — the nice thing.. NO black marks from the tires like matchbox cars.
The full sized Automoblox are just as “wicked”. These are the original larger versions of the Automoblox. They are interchangeable and just as fun to play with!
As both a parent and teacher, I love the Automoblox. There are no loud noisy and beeps, so I appreciate that! I also am happy to find a toy that Evan will play with more than once. I spend my hard earned money on his gifts. Automoblox is something he will be able to play with for quite some time and continue to add to the collection.
From a teacher perspective there is a great educational side to these toys. They help with the development of fine and gross motor skills. Not to mention, these toys help with creative play. I think Automoblox would be a great tool for children who are delayed or struggling developing fine and gross motor skills as well. The
My son is still at an age where he is learning to explore what he can do. I think he enjoyed these because he was able to create so many unique cars. They were all his ideas. His face lit up when he thought of a new creation.
Did I mention that these are not just for boys? Deep down every girl wants a pink sports car (or is that just me?) This pink C9 Automoblox is a great for a little girls. My niece would rather play with cars than dolls. I know I am always thinking what can I buy her for her birthday. She would totally love this car.
You can get printable coloring pages for FREE right HERE. There are Automoblox designs for your inspiring artist to color! These great cars are available at Automoblox.com and there are exclusive cars you can ONLY buy online!
One lucky For the Mommas reader will win an original full size Automoblox.
Visit the Automoblox site HERE and then come back and leave me a comment with which car you like best!
Rules: Open to U.S. Residents, 18 years & Older. Giveaway ends 11/17/09 at 11:59pm. Winner will be notified via email. Winner is responsible for responding within 72 hours or a new winner will be picked. The email will come from: info@forthemommas.com. Please make sure this is marked as a non spam email.
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I am all for a deal. There are somethings that I will only buy if they are free. You all know I am all about value. Sometimes this value doesn’t come in the form of a dollar.
There are some things that I spend as much money as necessary to get the highest quality product available. One of those items is a car seat. You see, in 2006 I was involved in a very serious accident, where my SUV rolled twice.This was the scariest moment of my life.
Fortunately, my baby wasn’t in the car. From that point on, I knew that I could only have the best car seat available to protect Evan. No matter what the cost, my cargo was far to precious not to have the best. I know we often think it can’t happen to us, until it happens to us.
Get a tissue, you will need it. It is just an amazing testament to the real value that the Britax car seat provided.
Fast forward to 2009, and my baby is no longer a baby. He is a vibrant, active 7 year old. We all seem to take car seat safety for granted once our child gets a little older. You still need a quality seat once they are age 6+
My problem is Evan is still just a little guy. While the laws all say age 8 to not need a carseat, he is no where near ready to be out of a car seat. I still believe he needs a five point harness. There aren’t many seats that are comfortable enough for him, even though he still meets the height/weight requirements. Enter the Britax Marathon CS. I wish I would have purchased this seat before. It really is super versatile. He is comfortable and will be able to be in this seat until he is 65lbs. (At this rate, when he’s 14) Ok, so he may just outgrow the 49″ height limitation, but he is really quite far off from that now.
The Marathon CS fits children rear facing from five to 35 pounds and children forward facing from at least one year old and 20 pounds, up to 65 pounds. Both positions can accommodate a standing height up to 49 inches. This car seat has more flexibility than any other car seat I have used, including other Britax models. While the safety features are all there on other Britax models, the Marathon CS offers it all. I say its the Volvo of carseats, safety and comfort all rolled up into one.
The Britax Marathon CS offers:
Even though the Britax might be slightly more expensive than some other car seats, it has tremendous value. Amazon currently has them on sale for $186.57, which is a huge discount over the list price of $289.00, you can check it out HERE
Is a car seat something you are willing to spend on ? I would love to hear your thoughts.
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I like to cook. No, make that I love to cook. Hopefully, you have checked out some of my recipes .
When I learned about the Thai Curry Challenge, I was all in. Here is the thing, I cook alot. I have never made a Thai meal in my home. Mystery Husband loves spicy, ethnic food. I always figured leave it to the pros. The problem is, we live rural. No Thai cuisine around here. In fact, no real cuisine here!
I was delighted to take on the challenge! Simply Asia sent me the Thai Kitchen ingredients to make Red Curry Chicken. I made it for dinner last night and it was fabulous!
You can see the full recipe HERE. This recipe took all of 25 minutes start to finish!
I started with this and 1 lb of chicken (not shown).
This was my first time ever working with Thai ingredients, and honestly, I don’t know what I was so afraid of. It was actually easier than most of the meals I make.
I followed the recipe and within a half hour, we had a super tasty Thai meal! My husband was totally impressed and honestly, so was I. I have always shied away from this type of food because of thinking it was so complex to make -WRONG. It was super easy and had a delicious taste to it. I don’t know about you, but I am always saying how I am looking for something different for dinner!
I put the Red Curry Chicken over the Jasmine Rice and served with snap peas. It had wonderful sweet flavor with a the traditional kick of curry! My 7 year old son ate this so fast and even asked for seconds. I know something is good when he wants more!
If you are going to try this great recipe, grab this coupon:
$.50/1 Printable on any Thai Kitchen Product
Five lucky For the Mommas readers will win a Thai Kitchen giftpack, consisting of:
To enter simply visit www.realasianmadesimple.com and leave me a comment with what recipe you would like to make! If you don’t cook on a regular basis, this is a great place to start. I was just simply amazed at how easy it was to make this recipe!
Rules: Open to U.S. Residents, 18 years & Older. Giveaway ends 11/08/09 at 11:59pm. Winner will be notified via email. Winner is responsible for responding within 72 hours or a new winner will be picked.
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