Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

We love books!

We love reading!

We love Dr. Seuss!

Every time I read a Dr. Seuss story, I am amazed at the way he was able to introduce important and relevant topics into a storybook for children. His silly words and wild rhymes almost always seem to hold a deeper meaning for both children and adults. In honor of Dr. Seuss and Read Across America, I decided to send my kids to school with Dr. Seuss themed lunches for the latter half of this week. Did I change the world or the minds of my kids by doing it? I doubt it, but we sure did have fun. Here are some of the goodies my girls found packed in their lunches.

Hawaiian Punch Lemon and Berry Juice Drink has disguised itself as Pink Ink for my Yinks to drink. I was actually looking for Simply Raspberry Lemonade, but my store was out of it. I think the flatter surface of that bottle might be a little easier to work with.  The girls didn't seem to mind though.  They would ask for this to drink every day if I let them.  (Normally they only get 100% juice in their lunches.)

Could it get any easier than this? Colorful Goldfish crackers are just perfect for One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish!

Lunch just isn't a lunch without fruit. So, my girls got some Cat in the Hat hats made by alternating strawberries and bananas on a toothpick.

Blue Jell-O and a cute red Swedish Fish made a fun and tasty Fish in the Pot dessert for my girls. I thought about making my own Jello-O, but the pre-made stuff was even easier!

I REALLY wanted to do something Green Eggs and Ham, but had a very difficult time coming up with something. My girls don't really like real eggs . . . or ham for that matter. So, the cute eggs and bacon treat turned green. (Two pretzel sticks, a white candy melt and a green m&m are all it takes!) Green Eggs and Ham / Green Eggs and Bacon - It is almost the same.

I don't remember where I saw this one, but sometimes the easiest things are the most fun. My girls absolutely LOVED their Hop on Pop(corn).

I have always appreciated the message in the Butter Battle Book, both from a global and individual perspective. Because of that, I had to do something with it. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any amazing ideas to borrow and modify, and it was late at night so my creative juices weren't flowing. This was the best I could come up with, but at least the book and message made an appearance in their lunches.

I couldn't leave out the Grinch! Any meat will do for this one, but my girls prefer sandwich pepperoni as their roast beast.

One of the reasons that I love Dr. Seuss is that his words are so fun, free, and open to your own creativity. Schlopp could be just about anything (as long as there is a cherry on top!), so I chose granola (My girls love Bear Naked Vanilla Almond) with Yogurt and a Maraschino cherry on top. Peanut didn't end up eating hers because she didn't like the consistency of the granola. She said it was too mushy after sitting with yogurt on it all morning. Pumpkin ate all of hers though and actually requested it again the next day.

Trying to mix up the fruits, I made a rainbow of fruit on toothpicks as Truffula Fruits.

While Yertle the Turtle might not be the nicest turtle around, these adorable Yertle the Turtle breads were a huge hit! I got the recipe from Betty Crocker and modified it to make four smaller turtles rather than one large one. The turtles were still rather large for the girls to eat at lunch. Next time I think I'll try to make 8 instead. If you do make them smaller, be sure to decrease your cooking time. I didn't time mine. I just watched them and took them out when they looked golden brown.

Did you do anything fun to celebrate Dr. Seuss and Read Across America?  I'd love to see/hear all about it!


*Disclaimer:  Ideas for these projects came from my own inspiration, various bloggers, friends, websites, etc.  I spent so much time thinking, searching, taking notes and modifying, that I no longer know who deserves the original credit.  If you know the originator of one of these ideas and would like me to mention them here, please send me a message and let me know.  All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Freschetta - Rally for Real Pizza

Who wants pizza?

In my house, the answer to that question will always be a resounding "ME!" from every nook and cranny in every direction.  I swear my kids and husband could eat pizza every day for the rest of their lives and be happy.  However, I would like them to choose healthier options.  That is why we are reducing the frequency with which we go out to eat for Lent.  No more fast food meals between after school activities and errands.  No more splurging on our favorite fried appetizers and desserts.  We are going to eat better for 40(+) days and see if it sticks.

Not eating out means that we have to plan better as well as purchase and prepare more home-cooked meals.  While most of the meals I have on the schedule are meals "from scratch", we do have some days where a quick and easy meal might be all we can fit in together.  These are the times when a pizza would be perfect!  Add in a fresh salad and fruit and it is a meal that I am happy to serve my family (and they are happy to eat).

Because of our Lenten plan, I was so excited to see that Freschetta believes that frozen pizza shouldn’t simply taste better. It should be better!  I couldn't agree more.  My kids and husband aren't huge frozen pizza fans because many brands taste frozen, preserved, and not very fresh.  "Freschetta® frozen pizzas are made with top-quality ingredients and taste-tested recipes, just to make sure your pizza will always deliver Fresch® flavor."  It really is a difference that my family can taste.

In order to promote their fresher frozen pizza, Freschetta is holding a "Rally for Real Pizza" where you have the chance to win some of the best frozen pizza my family has ever tried.  Here are the details:

Date -	February 27, 2012 - March 30, 2012
What -	Rally for Real Pizza
Where -	From the comfort of your own home
Details -	www.Facebook.com/Freschettapizza

The makers of FRESCHETTA® products are asking fans to take a stand for FRESCH® pizza! Fans will be able to submit a photo to a Rally Mosaic on our Facebook Fan Page for a chance to win FRESCHETTA® pizza. Each week, they will select 100 winners to receive 5 FRESCHETTA® pizzas. On March 30, they will select 10 winners who will receive a year supply of FRESCHETTA® pizza.

 Sounds good to me!  So, head on over to Facebook.com/freschettapizza for your chance to win!


Disclosure:  I occasionally receive compensation in the form of products for posts. However, the opinions I share are solely my own.

Wordless Wednesday - Weird Winter Weather

Would you ever guess that these were taken only one day apart?  What an odd winter we've had this year!

A (Late) Valentine's Day Wrap Up

February has absolutely flown by for us, even with an extra day!  While I realize that Valentine's Day was two weeks ago, I hadn't found time to share all the fun projects we were working on with you before now.  So, this post will be short, but jam packed with some of the projects that we really enjoyed.  Maybe you can use some of them next year with your munchkins.  :o)

Hearty Hot Dogs -

Who knew that hot dogs could inspire the thought of love?  I sure didn't, until I saw this fun food project that we did with Peanut's class.

With a hot dog cut on the diagonal, a triangular piece of cheese, and a fun party toothpick (found at a local party store, but if you plan better than I did you can pick them up for less at Oriental Trading), we were able to make hot dogs into Cupid's arrow hearts. How fun!

For those of you that don't like hot dogs (my kids refuse to eat them . . . not that that is a bad thing), you can also use soft pretzel sticks for the same effect. I found some plain sticks without cheese or anything inside by Hanover Foods in the frozen food department at WalMart. They were only $1.79 for 16 of them.

As for Valentines, we made them again. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough rose stems for the Hershey's Kiss roses to have Peanut make any extra, so I don't have a picture. (We were not as prepared as we usually are for Valentine's Day due to my extended bout with pneumonia.) However, they did turn out cute. The local florist actually had rose stems for candy roses, so it was an easy project. Two Kisses were stacked bottom to bottom, covered in cellophane, and attached to the stem with some pretty red ribbon. Cute!

Pumpkin saw the iPod Valentines on the FamilyFun website and decided that those would be her project. They also turned out great!

This one is missing an ear bud. I suspect that Doc may have gotten into it before I was able to take the picture. Either way, you get the idea. We didn't cover our peanut butter cups with foil because Pumpkin preferred that they were red. Also, she wanted to use colorful yarn rather than white. On the back, she attached a label that had a picture of a guitar and said, "You rock!". While some of the kids in her Kindergarten class didn't know what these were, they were a hit with the adults that received them, and Pumpkin LOVED them (which is the most important thing of all!).

A Truffula Tree

At school, my kiddos are celebrating Dr. Seuss all week long, and I've really gotten into the celebration too.  I spent much of the day today finding Dr. Seuss foods to pack in their lunches for the rest of the week.   From Yertle Turtle bread to a Pink Ink Yink Drink, the girls will be eating things in a way they never have before.  I promise I'll share all of the the fun foods I've found with you later in the week.  However, this post isn't about what I did, but what my girls were able to make with only minimal help!   I just love the way these Truffula Tree bookmarks turned out!  (The lighting is really bad on these pictures, so I do apologize in advance.)

From the finger knitted trunk to the non-traditional (Can you actually call anything Dr. Seuss traditional though? As the king of creative, I think he'd approve of our modification) multi-color tufts at the tops of the trees, these bookmarks are the handiwork of my Peanut and Pumpkin. The idea for this project came from schooltube.com  I had actually never heard of schooltube before running across this video demonstration for these fun bookmarks.   It just looked so easy that I knew we had to try it.  So, while Peanut (7) was at an after school event, Pumpkin (6) and I got to work.  In the hour that we were waiting, she was able to make 3 of these bookmarks.  The finger knitting did take a little while for her to master.  The first time she tried, she kept dropping the loop.  However, once she got the hang of it, she flew through the 4 feet of yarn in no time flat. 

The greatest thing about this project, was the fact that most of the time we were working on it, we were also able to talk about other things.  Pumpkin shared information about her day at school, her swim class, and what she was looking forward to later in the week.  We talked about numbers and measurement and if her foot was actually a foot.  :o)  It was a great opportunity to spend some quality time together without the distractions of TV, a beckoning iPod, a ringing phone, dinner to prepare, etc.  Any project that gives me quality time with my love bugs is an AMAZING one!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Sit Back, Relax, and Laugh in The Clorox Lounge

Don’t wipe your boogies on the couch!  What makes you think it is a good idea to lick the handle of the shopping cart?

Those are just a couple of the many things I have found myself saying that I never thought I would.  At least once a week I tell my children something, then chuckle to myself, amused to hear such craziness coming out of my mouth.  Were it not for the fact that my sister has children about the same age as mine, I would wonder if there was something wrong my kids.  Fortunately, I have been talking to her on the phone when I’ve heard something equally strange, disturbing or hilarious come out of her mouth. 

As parents, I think we long for that sense of camaraderie.   We want to know that we’re not alone in the trenches of parenthood.  We need to know that our kids aren’t the only ones licking shopping carts, putting carrots in their noses, and wearing their underwear on their heads to play pirate. 

As parents, we want to hear other people’s stories, successes and failures.  They make us laugh, give us hope, and make us realize we aren’t alone.  We really like to share our own stories as well.   When we have a great success we want to brag.  When we experience failure, we want to know that we’ll get through it.   Sharing is a great way to get ideas.  It provides us with a mental manual for child rearing (since my kids didn’t come with a physical one).  Sometimes the method you never thought you’d use for potty training (sleep training, 2-wheel bike riding, eating veggies, etc.) turns out to be the one that works.    I remember when my friend told me that she left her daughter naked for the day to potty train her.  I thought she was CRAZY!  Guess what worked for both of my girls?  Yep, naked potty training for one day and both girls were pretty much trained and accident free from then on. 

While there are lots of sites out there dedicated to parenting, advice, and creating connections among parents, The Clorox Lounge is a new one that is dedicated to the humor in parenting.  

About The Clorox Lounge:

The Clorox Family of Toilet Products’ on-going Ode to the Commode campaign, recognizing the toilet’s vital role in our routine, continues with the launch of The Clorox Lounge, a community hub designed to be mom’s gotta go place for comedy, which launched on January 26, 2012. Hosted by comedian, actress and mom Sherri Shepherd, the site found at TheCloroxLounge.com features hilarious anecdotes, fun contests, exciting give-a-ways, coupons and just the right amount of comic relief.

About Last Comic Sitting Competition & Sweepstakes:

The Clorox Lounge activities kick-off with Last Comic Sitting Competition and Sweepstakes, starting February 27, 2012. Over the course of eight weeks, 10 of the funniest mom and dad comics will go head-to-head in a stand-up throw-down for the chance to sit on the throne and be crowned the Last Comic Sitting. Each week, they’ll face a new challenge and based on your votes, one will be eliminated. The grand prize winner will receive $10,000. For four weeks, you will have the opportunity to vote and narrow the comics down to the top mom and top dad.

You also have an opportunity to win $10,000 in the Last Comic Sitting Sweepstakes. Simply visit The Clorox Lounge to sign-up and be automatically entered for a chance to win the top prize. You can generate up to two additional entries each day, per day, by logging in and commenting, until April 22, 2012. Fans can also enter for a chance to win cool prize packs. Ten prizes will be given each week, for twelve weeks, until April 22, 2012.

For more information visit: The Clorox Lounge

Disclaimer:  Information for this blog post came from SocialMoms.com.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.  I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Clorox® blogging program, for 8,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

My Cheerios just got a little sweeter - Dulce de Leche

First, I just have to say that I LOVE Cheerios.  Multi Grain Cheerios are my favorite! (I still remember the first time I ate them.  We were on an airplane going someplace . . . weird that I don't remember where though.  They were serving breakfast.  Remember when they actually served food on a plane?!  I didn't want the hot food they were serving, so they brought me Multi Grain Cheerios instead.  I had never heard of them, and was actually a bit leery of anything labeled "multi grain" at that time.  I tended to prefer white, bleached, no grain visible foods.  I took a bite and was hooked.  With a touch of sweetness, they were delicious!  I've been buying them ever since.)  Anyway, back to the topic at hand.  We almost always have at least two varieties of Cheerios in our house.  The girls' choice is usually Honey Nut or Frosted (because who doesn't love that?!).  Though Apple Cinnamon and Fruity make frequent appearances as well.   So, when I was contacted by MyBlogSpark to receive and review Dulce de Leche Cheerios I was giddy with anticipation.  I hadn't seen them in stores yet.  In fact, I hadn't even heard of them.   I just knew I'd love them before I even tried them.

When the day finally came that the box with my Cheerios arrived outside my door I was thrilled.  I knew what I'd be having for breakfast the next day - Dulce de Leche Cheerios in my cute little polka dot bowl.  (Actually, to be honest, the bowl is actually much bigger than I expected.  I usually only eat about half that amount of cereal in the morning.)  So, I got the kids packed up and on the bus.  I poured myself a bowl of cereal and milk and I sat down to enjoy it.  I took a bite.  Hmmm?   I wasn't quite sure if I liked it or not.  The flavor was different than I expected.  It was light, but it tasted like something and I couldn't quite put my finger on it.  I took another bite.  It was pretty good.  Not "pure joy" when they hit my tongue, but good.  The more bites I ate, the more I enjoyed it.  I think that it was just not exactly what I was expecting.  The taste is hard to describe.  The strength of the flavor reminds me a bit of flavored coffee.  You can taste a hint of caramel in your caramel coffee, but it doesn't taste like caramel.  It  was a similar experience with this. 

Since my first taste, I've really come to enjoy Dulce de Leche Cheerios.  The box is nearly empty, and I will definitely be purchasing it again in the future.  I've found that I actually prefer eating them dry, as a snack.  If I'm going out to run errands, then I grab a small container, fill it up and munch while driving or between stops.  It fills me up, has a touch of sweetness (which is enough to keep me from grabbing a cookie from the cookie shop in the mall), and is easy to eat on the go. 

Unfortunately, this box has disappeared before I got a chance to try any of the recipes that I was sent.   With my next box, I'm definitely going to try to make the Dulce de Leche Apple Bread (though I think I'll crunch up the Cheerios a bit more than they did in their picture) and Dulce de Leche No Bake Cheesecake.  Which recipes are you excited to try with Dulce de Leche Cheerios?  All you have to do is tell me below for your chance to win a fun prize pack like the one I received!

Here are some of the recipes:

• Cheerios Dulce de Leche Snack Mix: http://bit.ly/DDLSnackMix
• Cheerios Dulce de Leche Popcorn Balls: http://bit.ly/DDLPopcornBalls
• Cheerios Dulce de Leche No Bake Snack Bars: http://bit.ly/DDLSnackBars
• Cheerios Dulce de Leche Apple Bread: http://bit.ly/DDLBread
• Cheerios Dulce de Leche Parfait: http://bit.ly/DDLParfait
• Cheerios Dulce de Leche No Bake Cheesecake: http://bit.ly/DDLCheesecake

Disclosure: The new Dulce de Leche Cheerios information, product, and prize pack have been provided free of charge by Cheerios and General Mills, through MyBlogSpark.

Returning to School with Sam's Club

Christmas season is now long over, and school is back in session.  I'm not sure what your pantry looks like, but I know that mine is nearly empty.  Between traveling, parties, guests, and get-togethers (and a long bout of pneumonia), what's left is a mix of expired foods and random bits and pieces that aren't enough to make a healthy meal.   Fortunately, now that I'm feeling better, Sam's Club is on my list of places to visit this week to stock up on all of the girls' essential snacks as well as soups to keep my lunches healthy here at home.

In addition to having all the foods my girls love, in quantities that I need, and prices I appreciate, Sam's Club also offers Bonus Box Tops on some of these great products.  If you like Nature Valley, Yoplait, or Progresso, then you might want to hurry in to Sam's Club to find the packages with the Bonus Box Tops.  Not only will you be getting the foods you love, but you'll be able to support the schools your kids attend as well.

Who wants a little help in paying for your back to school essentials from Sam's Club?  I was given a $25 gift card to share this information with you, and now one of you can win one as well.  All you have to do is enter via the rafflecopter form below.  Good luck!

Just a Thought -

This past weekend my family and I went on a mini vacation and stayed in a hotel.  I was struck by the fact that every hotel now posts a note asking me to do my part to save the environment by reusing my towel.  The cynic in me wonders if they really care about the environment, or if they are actually just trying to save themselves some work and money.  Regardless, I have no problem reusing my towel in a hotel.  I certainly don't change my towel daily at home.  The problem I have, is that all of the towels in a hotel are white and unidentifiable.  If they would give me four towels, each a different color, so that I was able to distinguish which one belonged to which member of my family, I would happily oblige and do my part to save the environment.   However, as much as I love my family, there are two things we just don't share - toothbrushes and towels.   So alas, I find myself destroying the environment one towel at a time. 

New Year, Souper You with Progresso

Welcome 2012!

The New Year is upon us, and while I don't generally do New Year's Resolutions, per se, I am always looking for new ways to better myself.   From being more patient with my kiddos to making smarter food choices, I have a long list of things to work on this year.  Unfortunately, many of them are carry-overs from previous years since it is sometimes difficult for me to reach specific goals and maintain them long-term.  (I get bored easily.)  By keeping these goals in the forefront of my mind, I can at least be more aware of individual choices I make, and eventually that has to add up to some improvement.  Right?

While I would love to lose some weight, my primary reason for wanting to make smarter food choices is to be a good example for my kids.  We generally eat fruit as snacks and don't keep too much junk food around the house, but we do go out to eat too often.  It isn't that we particularly enjoy that food more than home cooked food, but it is sometimes so much more convenient when we're out and about anyway.  I need to find some quick, easy, convenient, and healthy foods to keep around the house.  I already use my crock pot quite often, but am always looking for new recipes to try. (Again, my boredom becomes an issue.)  I want my kids to enjoy and appreciate healthy choices now so that it is easier to continue to make healthy choices later.  I don't want them to have to go through the same struggles I am going through as they get older, become less active, and get overwhelmed with stress and unhealthy options on every corner.

While considering what I should buy for myself to keep on hand, I discovered that Progresso now has 40 soups each with 100 calories or less per serving.  That should be enough to keep me from getting too bored.  Even if I liked 30 of them, I'd be set for a different soup every day for lunch for less than 200 calories.  (I'm going to be honest and say that if soup is all I'm eating, I'm highly likely to eat the entire can and not just half of it.)

In addition to having a huge variety of soups, Progresso is also hosting a Souper You Contest where you can enter to win an amazing makeover experience in Hollywood.  The prize includes a trip for two to Los Angeles, California where the winner will receive a head-to-toe makeover including hair and makeup, guided shopping spree with a $1,000 fashion retailer gift card, $1,000 spending money and 2 tickets to this season’s live finale of NBC’s The Biggest Loser. How fun would that be?!

All you have to do to enter is go to www.SouperYou.com and submit a photo and essay about why you love Progresso soups and why you deserve a makeover by February 22nd.  Finalists will be selected and posted by March 12th.  People vote on the finalists until March 25th.

So, what are you waiting for?  Go take a photo and work on that essay!    If you haven't tried Progresso Soups yet and want to find out why you can love them too, then go to http://bit.ly/ProgressoCoup and print off a coupon for $1.25 off 4 cans.  Good luck!

Do you need some motivation to get going on that essay?  Check out this video of the 2011 winner experience and see how much fun you could have if you won!


Now that you're ready to win the big prize, I'm going to give you a chance to win a smaller prize too.  If you'd like to win:

• (2) VIP Coupons for Progresso Soup
• (1) copy of “The Biggest Loser” Workout DVD

Then enter using the rafflecopter entry below.  Best of luck!

*Disclosure:  The Progresso^® Souper You^® prize pack, information, coupon, and giveaway have been provided by Progresso through MyBlogSpark.