Maneuvering Life and Motherhood with Twins Plus One
The “holidays” are officially over. Valentines marks the close of all the crappy eating, unhealthy food choices and overall gluttony in our lives. For those who didn’t make a New Year’s resolution you are considering your health about this time. You are looking for a way to kickstart your body into the healthy mode; feeling sluggish, fatigued, and just a general overall feeling of meh. Continue reading “Kickstart your Colon with Coconut Cleanse”
Some decisions are truly hard to decipher. For example, what came first, the chicken or the egg? Luckily we have super geniuses like Neil DeGrasse Tyson to answer our questions of the cosmos. So for the more down to Earth questions concerning food choices and better for you foods, what do you look to put on your table? My family is all about organic, some gluten free (I like to expose my kids to a wide variety of flour and food options), and whole foods that are minimally processed without chemical additives or preservatives. We have found that many meat products have the most amount of processing and additives, but we found a real gem: al fresco all natural.
al fresco all natural has over two-dozen gourmet, healthy chicken products, ranging from Wild Blueberry breakfast sausage to fully cooked Sweet Italian chicken sausage to Tomato & Basil chicken meatballs. Each of the chicken sausage varieties has 70% less fat and 35% less sodium than pork products, and they’re all gluten free.
My family received a package of the frozen, fully cooked, breakfast chicken sausage links in Country Style and Apple Maple. Needless to say the maple was a real hit with The Chad and the twins. Big G was a fan of the country style and preferred this for sure in his brinner.
Oh yes, did I mention we made brinner with these? Brinner = Breakfast +Dinner
A family favorite for dinner, breakfast. Why slave away making an extravagant dinner when you can have all the excellent food groups in dinner. We made a breakfast scramble of which the pictures I tried to obtain were limited because dinner was such a hit in my house. We warmed these frozen links in the frying pan (just a preference over heating in the microwave) and cut them into bite size pieces.
Here is our full recipe:
1 package al fresco Country Style frozen chicken sausage
4 whole eggs + 1 c egg whites, all scrambled together
Diced red and green bell peppers
Diced red onions
Spinach (optional, but I love me some raw spinach!)
Heat links in pan until warmed thoroughly, remove from pan and dice into bit size chunks. Pour egg mixture with diced vegetables in the pan, just before eggs are completely finished cooking add in the chunks of sausage to rewarm. Toss around in pan until all egg is completely cooked and serve atop a bed of spinach. VOILA! Enjoy.
Upon further inspection of the ingredients here is the low down to really solidify the minimally processed, all natural, whole foods aspect:
SKINLESS CHICKEN MEAT, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF WATER, SALT, SUGAR, SPICES, SAGE, THYME, NATURAL FLAVORINGS.
That’s it! Those are all the ingredients which I can get behind when feeding my family. I know exactly what they are eating and I am not having to try to decipher some scientifically assigned word for the creation of my food. If you need a PhD in chemical engineering to read your food label we might have a problem.
While I said that’s it, we really aren’t done yet! You see, al fresco launched a recipe sweepstakes called #ChickenAndTheEgg that runs until December 31 of this year. All you need to do is submit your all star recipe to be entered to win on January 5, 2015 a free breakfast for four ($200 value) AND a year’s supply of al fresco chicken sausage (16 packages). Here’s how you can enter to win:
Want to know where you can find al fresco products? Just do a quick search of retailers in your area. Take advantage of the #ChickenAndTheEgg recipe sweeps we would love to see your recipes and photos all over Instagram. I know a lot of you visit us for recipe ideas, let’s see your hidden gems for recipe ideas. al fresco keeps laying on the awesomeness (ha ha get it…laying…laying eggs…I digress) to have you share your recipes. Until the end of January, if you buy two packages of al fresco breakfast chicken sausages at any store, you will receive a FREE carton of eggs. Chicken sausage + free eggs allows you to make breakfast (or dinner) better.
Yoga has been one of my favorite workouts since I discovered it with P90X. If you think that yoga is not a workout, clearly you haven’t attended a class…let alone a bikrim yoga class. I love how yoga keeps me lean, flexible and cool as a cucumber. By that I mean that I am total centered, calm, relaxed and energized. Something about shutting your brain off to the world is amazing, all while hyper-focusing on balance and strength. Centering your chi is like any other action, having the proper tools is essential, Aurorae Yoga helps inspire and illuminate your experience. Continue reading “Aurorae Yoga Mats and More”
Since we are officially into November and just a short time away from Thanksgiving, the throes of the Christmas and holiday season will be converging upon us. If you are like me Thanksgiving day is the catalyst to start listening to holiday favorites and Christmas classics to really get in the spirit and mood of the season.
When I began listening to Idina Menzel‘s Holiday Wishes (available on iTunes and Amazon) album my daughter immediately recognized her enchanting voice and ran from the other room. Bright eyed she asked, “Mom, is that Elsa singing Christmas songs?”
This year every little girl’s favorite artist will be singing our Christmas classics and then some on her new holiday album titled Holiday Wishes. Imagine “Let It Go” as “Let It Snow” as Idina Menzel passionately sings some of our favorite Christmas melodies.
Holiday Wishes, a Christmas album recorded by Tony Award-winning singer/actor Idina Menzel, is out now on Warner Bros. Records.
The album was produced by Grammy Award-winner Walter Afanasieff (Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey) and features such classic favorites as “All I Want For Christmas Is You†and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,†as well as Joni Mitchell’s Christmas-themed “River,†one of Menzel’s favorites.
Another highlight is a duet with international superstar Michael Bublé on “Baby It’s Cold Outside.†An exclusive Target edition of Holiday Wishes features two bonus tracks, including “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!â€.
Idina’s career has traversed stage, film, television, and music. She was most recently heard as Elsa in Disney’s global box-office smash Frozen, in which she sings the film’s Oscar-winning song “Let It Go.†After her performance of the multi-platinum song at the 86th annual Academy Awards, she made history as the first person with both a Billboard Top 10 hit and a Tony Award for acting.
Idina currently stars as Elizabeth in the original Broadway production of If/Then.
Holiday Wishes Track Listing
Do You Hear What I Hear
The Christmas Song
Baby It’s Cold Outside (Duet with Michael Buble)
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
All I Want For Christmas
What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?
December Prayer
When You Wish Upon A Star
Silent Night
River
Holly Jolly Christmas
White ChristmasBonus Tracks on Target Exclusive
Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow
Mothers Spiritual
While Thanksgiving has not yet arrived I cannot help but to play this album all the time. I am more than excited for the holidays. Thanksgiving and Christmas are by far my favorite holidays to share with my family. Of all the songs at Christmas on this album, Silent Night is an all time favorite and I really enjoyed the original tracks of River and December Prayer. The melodies have a seasonal tone, yet they don’t quite fall all the way into the Christmas music genre which I completely appreciate.
This album is available for download on Amazon and iTunes if you are ready to share in the holiday season and festivities. You can check out more of Idina and her entrancing voice on YouTube.
 I participated in the Idina Menzel Holiday Wishes album review program as a member of One2One Network. I was provided an album to review but all opinions are my own.
Living in Arizona brings a very harsh and dry climate. We have over 300 days of pure, unadulterated sunshine each year. So for an active family like ours, we are constantly in use of a sun protecting product to prevent sun damaged skin and thwart the idea of skin cancer. Furthermore we own a pool, so the majority of our summer experience is spent beside or in that pool or at the local lakes. Our family also enjoys camping and other outdoor sports and activities which puts us in the glow of our warming star. Sun protectant is HUGE Â and vital in our home and we go through a lot of it.
But as an Eco-conscious mom and one that looks for overall protection, benefits, and a small carbon footprint I also want to make sure I am using something that will be safe on my children. Additionally I don’t want to pretend I am snowed over on a product, especially one that was provided for a review free of charge. Shall we dig into the details.
I recently signed up for a campaign with Global Influence to review a sunscreen line, Beyond Coastal.
I have never heard of the product. never seen them, their brand has never been brought to my attention. So the product is a perfect platform to review as it is not a brand I normally purchase or something I would seek out; often seen amongst most review bloggers. Ahem.
Mind you I will be full disclosure, I have nothing to hide and I have no shame. All participants of the review were advised that they were to post the week of April 30th. As you can see that time has clearly passed. We all waited and were notified that the products were “on their way and additional time would be provided.” Because my time is extremely valuable and priceless because I work outside the home and am the sole provider for my household, this dilly dally attitude was not befitting to me for their demands of a timeline. I sent a few emails, of which went unanswered until push come to shove, as I asked for the new timeline, an ETA for arrival, some answers; like I said, being a bitch gets you an answer. Normally when you create and setup a project with a deadline you provide levels of communication, of which were lacking. Not to mention the company that was providing the product was delayed in shipping the product. Duly noted.
Arriving nicely packed in a bubble wrap envelope, I tore in to see what was entailed to review:
Citrus Grove Lip Balm SPF 15 – .15oz| Comfrey Plant Extract | Skin Cell Builder, Protects and Soothes |
As always: No Purchase Necessary, available to US residents. One entry per household. US postcard entries also acceptable if you do not have access to the above entry options, no limit to postcard entries as long as all are received before the close of the contest, email contests@thefivefish.com for your postcard entry details or to use email as your postcard entrance as these entries will be logged by the administrator of the blog. Winners will be chosen by “And the Winner is†Failure to adhere to the aforementioned rules set forth by this contest will result in forfeiture of your entry with no notice. Facebook does not promote, endorse, nor sponsor this review and giveaway and will be held harmless. As always, good luck and enjoy. My opinions herein are my own and are no way influenced by the receipt of a free product, they are an honest reflection of myself and my review of the integrity of the product.
“Disclosure: I was provided with a Natural Family Pack travel case of Beyond Coastal sun products at no cost in order to promote the product and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.â€
Traditional stocking stuffers are sweet treats, but they do not promote any health and face it, they promote unhealthy habits and the “okay” from parents that treats like these are perfectly acceptable. While candy and sweets may be alright in moderation and once in an odd while, they are not a good influence for our children. So while compiling my gift guide and ideas for fabulous stocking stuffers and maintaining of the healthy organic lifestyle I have created for my children I found HAPPYFAMILY Foods which is a great line of snacks, bites, munchies, and drinks for babies, toddlers and the entire family.
About HAPPYFAMILY:
A few short years ago, HAPPYBABY was the first premium baby brand to enter the market in 5 small stores in New York City—at a time when there were no homestyle options for parents to feed their children. Processed foods or homemade baby food—which can be time consuming for busy families—were the only options. A lot has changed, and we are now the leading premium brand of baby and toddler meals in the U.S.—sold in over 13,000 stores with 9 different lines of optimally delicious organic foods for your growing family.
Our family added to our stockings this year the HAPPYSQUEEZE super fruit and super grains organic smoothie. Perfect for an in between meals snack, a morning pick me up, or just because. My family love these, not only because they are totally portable anywhere, even fitting right into the Santa Shoes as my kids call them, but they taste great, are great for you with the USDA certified organic, and they are affordable. Who says that eating right and healthy has to cost your kids and family a fortune.
HAPPYFAMILY foods has a variety of lines for all stages of your family with baby foods, toddler snacks and drinks, but HAPPYFAMILY also offers a line of books and DVD’s to enhance your healthy lifestyle in all aspects. Their products are available at local retailers and specialty stores like Whole Foods and Kroger brand stores. Try adding these snacks to your Santa Shoes this year and your kids might thank you.
“Disclosure: I was provided with samples of HAPPYFAMILY Squeeze at no cost in order to test the products’ abilities and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.â€
Traditional toys are always fun for kids for the holidays; molded plastic and or mind numbing video games are always a parents easy choice and favorite. Who doesn’t want to make their kid the happiest on Christmas only to be bored by New Years.
This year I wanted to engage in my children’s imagination, mind play, and really use the brain power these three possess. Alarmingly they are more intelligent than any parent could dream and I always want great toys for them to harness this intelligence and encourage them to flourish. Granted video games and the like are fun every now and again, but as a child my fondest memories were playing educational type games, mind teasers and challenged me to think outside the box. Hence why I am an underwriter, critically thinking and always looking to spin outside the box. Oh I digress.
So I found Mindware Toys and asked them what they had for my little brain trust of children and they presented to me: Contraptions, Pattern Play and Imaginets for my kids to delve into.
Contraptions inspires young thinkers to build unbelievable ball track structures with this simple stacking plank system. Create ramps, funnels, chutes and crazy contraptions like the “Black Hole” and “Bounce Plate.” Then find out if the ball rolls as expected. Fostering unlimited creativity and experimentation, KEVA planks build an early understanding of proportion and balance, while teaching basic principles of physics and engineering. No glue, no connectors-just loads of constructive fun! Includes 200 identical wooden planks, 2 specially designed lightweight balls for maximum action and an 18-page idea book with project photos and quick-start instructions. Contraptions planks are made from pine.
My eight year old absolutely loves this, comparable to Lego’s he can build amazing structures and literally contraptions.
Pattern Play blocks are a great introduction to math concepts like sorting, matching, symmetry, congruence and fractions. This high-quality set fits just-so into its wood tray, with vibrant colors and unusual shapes that build spatial skills. Includes 40 exceptionally well-finished wood blocks, a 10.5″-square wood building tray, 40 Pattern Cards and a drawstring canvas storage bag. Pattern Play must have been personally selected for my twin son Seth, at the rip age of three and a half, almost four who has some serious OCD and this is perfect for him to put together the like colors.
Finally my twin daughter who has been playing with the Imaginets. She is such a girl with putting things together to look pretty and match, as I said earlier, these toys seem to have been hand selected based on who they are. The sturdy wood carrying case features durable hinges and rope handles that are perfect for little hands to grasp. Inside, brightly-colored magnetic blocks can be arranged on the boards to replicate any of the 50 full-color design challenges, including animals, faces, vehicles, sports, structures and more. Plus, the magnetic board surface doubles as a dry-erase board, so kids can decorate a backdrop for their creations!
I was so thrilled to have these toys for my kids, flexing their brain power and I enjoy hearing them giggle and talk things through about how to build different creations, contraptions and patterns. Not to mention the price point for all these toys are $50 or less which is even easier on the budget!
“Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of Contraptions, Pattern Play, and Imaginets at no cost in order to test the products’ abilities and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.â€
My boys are generally the easiest to shop for: Nerf guns and swords to battle each other with rubber coated foam bullets and or Lego’s. Enough said.
My daughter, the girly girl is a bit tougher to shop for since she is at an age where she might be able to play with older girl toys, but still lacks the maturity to enjoy them. However I found that she loves My Little Pony and Littlest Pet Shop. These two appeal to her and her little hands and she is able to maintain them in a way that I am not worried about. The toys themselves do not have any small parts that would frighten me about a choking hazard like some Barbie toys do, and she adores how quaint they are.
Since she is rather petite, theses petite little toys are great stocking stuffers or stand alone toys just for girls.
The Littlest Pet Shop Walkables are a great addition for any holiday gift. Add some motion to any LITTLEST PET SHOP collection with the WALKABLES Pets Assortment! These quirky pets are full of spunk and ready to get up and go. At the touch of a button these pets get going, moving across any smooth surface. Girls can collect up to 12 LITTLEST PET SHOP WALKABLES Pets including a dog, seal, snail, fish, cat, spider and more. Each sold separately. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and on HasbroToyShop.com not to mention the price is just right for those of you shopping on a budget like myself! Priced at $7.99 MSRP, these little critters are sure to light up any little girls holiday.
The more friends the merrier with the MY LITTLE PONY pony assortment! Girls can expand their pony collection with these adorable MY LITTLE PONY figures, each featuring a unique cutie mark that reflects their personality. The circle of friends continues to grow as each pony comes with a special animal friend! Each figure in the assortment includes an accessory to tote their pet friend along and a comb for girls to style the pony’s bright, brushable mane. Eight MY LITTLE PONY pony figures will be introduced in the spring with an additional ten ponies available in the fall. Each sold separately. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and on HasbroToyShop.com and again, priced just right for those looking to add that last minute gift or pinch those pennies in a rough economy at $4.99 each MSRP.
So for less than $15 total you can add some great gifts under your holiday tree for your little girl this holiday season, I know mine is enjoying her recent addition of the Walkables to her Littlest Pet Shop toy collection and another pony to her My Little Pony toy collection.
“Disclosure: I was provided with a sample of My Littlest Pet Shop and My Little Pony at no cost in order to test the products’ abilities and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.â€
Starting Nov. 20 through Dec. 11, Fry’s will offer quadruple fuel rewards points on most gift cards sold at its in-store kiosk. The rewards points can be redeemed for discounts of up to $0.10 on fuel at Shell stations and $1 at Kroger fuel centers. “We encourage customers to stop by Fry’s and purchase gift cards to use like cash, in order to save on fuel. We think it’s an easy and convenient way to kick off holiday shopping before heading out to retailers,†notes Kathy Kelly, president of Kroger Personal Finance. I love Fry’s and Kroger fuel, just the other day I saved $0.20 a gallon on my fuel purchase by participating in the savings program.
According to the National Retail Federation’s 2011 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions survey, released in October, 57 percent of consumers begin their holiday shopping in November and the first two weeks of December. And, limited budgets and a general wariness over the economy are driving consumers to seek out seasonal sales, discounts and other incentives to maximize their purchases.
Fry’s holiday gift card promotion falls into the latter category. The rewards allow customers to save up to $0.10 per gallon on gas purchased at Shell, or up to $1 per gallon at Kroger fuel centers nationwide. The more points a customer accrues, the greater the rewards. For example, for every purchase of $50 in gift cards from Fry’s Gift Card Mall, customers will receive 200 fuel points. Those 200 points can be redeemed for $0.10 off per gallon at two different fill-ups at the customer’s local Shell station, or $0.20 off per gallon at their local Kroger fuel center.
Choose from retailers such as Macy’s, JCPenney, Sears, Starbucks, iTunes, Lowes, Gap and Old Navy, Chili’s and Best Buy, among many others. Some exclusions do apply, and the rewards offer may vary by market, so customers are encouraged to visit their local store for more information. “The holiday gift card deal is just another way we offer meaningful savings to customers when they need it most,†Kelly says.
So to encourage your spending and savings with Fry’s this holiday season Fry’s and Kroger brand are giving away a $25 gift card for you to go out and spend merrily this holiday season and take advantage of all the great savings opportunities with Kroger and Kroger brand stores like Fry’s Food. Here is how you can enter to win:
As always: No Purchase Necessary, available to US residents. One entry per household. US postcard entries also acceptable if you do not have access to the above entry options, no limit to postcard entries as long as all are received before the close of the contest, email contests@thefivefish.com for your postcard entry details or to use email as your postcard entrance as these entries will be logged by the administrator of the blog. Winners will be chosen by “And the Winner is†Failure to adhere to the aforementioned rules set forth by this contest will result in forfeiture of your entry with no notice. Facebook does not promote, endorse, nor sponsor this review and giveaway and will be held harmless. As always, good luck and enjoy. My opinions herein are my own and are no way influenced by the receipt of a free product, they are an honest reflection of myself and my review of the integrity of the product.
“Disclosure: I was provided with a gift card to Kroger in the value of $25 at no cost in order to help promote the Kroger promotion and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.â€
Thanksgiving night and the day after, what is a family to do. Traditionally families load into the car and head off to the movies. Two hours of silent,entertainment, eating butter saturated, salty goodness in popcorn and drinking high fructose corn syrup drinks. Sounds fabulous to add to the already plump Thanksgiving meal. Why not veer off from the norm and play games!
Experience the fun and excitement of the popular TV show right in your own living room!
This time you’re playing with larger-than-life pieces in re-imagined versions of your favorite Hasbro games. CONNECT 4 Basketball is more fun than ever as you shoot hoops to get 4 balls in a row and YAHTZEE! Bowling puts a whole new spin on the popular dice game. You’ll also find fun new versions of SCRABBLE Flash, SORRY! Sliders, and BOP-IT Boptagon, and win MONOPOLY Crazy Cash, just like the game show! Play with friends and family and compete to prove your family is the best!
Not to mention you are burning off your overstuffed dinner and enjoying quality time as a family. We played Family Game Night 4 on our Wii and got the entire family up and jumping around to the excitement of playing a childhood favorite, Connect 4. Everyone was vying to win that game so then we moved on to basketball to really get the blood flowing and burn off the remnants of some pie and green bean casserole.
The kids were having a blast, jumping around, half screams….well full screams of joy and excitement as we all played for a family game night rather than heading off to the movies like everyone else. Family Game Night 4 is available on all platforms just in time for the holiday season, find it for Wii, Playstation and XBOX for hours of fun, laughs, and at times some heated competition. Give the gift of fun and family for any and every member of your family. Find Family Game Night 4 at your local retailers this holiday season to get your family together.
“Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of Family Game Night 4 at no cost in order to test the products’ abilities and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.â€