Aquafina's Flavorsplash Week Six and Giveaway!

This our sixth and last week of Aquafina Flavorsplash shipments as part of the Mom Central Aquafina Flavorsplash tour and I have to say I'm pretty bummed about it. I've even developed a full fledged Aquafina FlavorSplash addiction. The final week's flavor was Peach Mango which was pretty tastey but I have to say last week's flavor, Grape, has to be hands down my favorite flavor of our six weeks of Flavorsplash.

I really love peach flavored drinks and actually one of my favorite flavored waters is a store brand peach water, however, I wasn't so sure about the mango part. Mango is not one of my favorite fruits and I've never been a huge fan of mango flavored drinks. The combination of mango and peach is really quite pleasant and I think you end up tasting more of the peach anyways. I still just can't get over the grape and I've been buying grape non stop since last week as our weekly shipment of six bottles rarely even makes it past the first day as we tend to fight over them once they get cold.

I will say if anything this tour has made me into a huge Aquafina Flavorsplash fan and though I previously always sort of snubbed my nose as spending extra money on bottled or flavored waters that is no longer the case. I've found I end up drinking three times the amount of water I usually do if I have some flavored water on hand and I even end up drinking just plain water as once I've had a bottle of flavored water it gets me going toward wanting just cold water as well. Not to mention I've been spending an exceptional amount of time at the barn lately in the blazing heat and I keep a few waters there at all times as Alabama in mid summer is ridiculously hot.

Speaking of really refreshing summer time treats. If you ever have the chance to visit Alabama in the summer if you do nothing else head to the closest farmer's market and get your hands on some fresh Chilton County peaches. I've tried fresh peaches all over the US and there is nothing that comes close to them. I personally just prefer them fresh and room temperature but on a really hot day they are really excellent served over fresh home made ice cream! Getting our last shipment of Aquafina Flavorsplash in peach mango reminded me that it's time to start making our weekly farmer's market trip to get peaches as well!


There is a $1 off a six pack of Aquafina FlavorSplash available right now as well!

Aquafina was kind enough to send us some coupons and their awesome new lip gloss in Aquafina flavors to try out as well. I'm giving away two gift packs of lip glosses and a free coupon for a six pack of Aquafina to two lucky winners this week!


To Enter :

• Leave a comment on this post. Just check out the Aquafina website and check out the selection of Aquafina FlavorSpalsh flavors. Let us know which is your favorite!
• Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
• Please US entries only.
• To get extra credit :
  
  
  • For an extra entry - Please post each extra entry in a separate post  :
  • Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add my button to your sidebar and let me know its there. (please note if you have our old button on your sidebar you'll need to update the link/image) 
  • Subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
  • Let people know about the giveaway on Twitter with a link to the giveaway! 
  • Join our Facebook Page!
  • BONUS - I'm allowing a fifth entry for a limited time for those of you who have previously blogged/linked to us in exchange for an entry. Update all the links you have on your site going to our old url (sevendogs) to superheroboy.com and get a extra entry. All you have to do is replace superheroboy in the link where sevendogsandababy appears. 
  • This contest will end July 31st at midnight!
  
  
  
   “I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for Aquafina FlavorSplash and have received various FlavorSplash samples to facilitate my participation. Mom Central will send me a gift card at the end of the program.”

Aquafina's Flavorsplash lemon flavored water is Connor's favorite!

We've really been enjoying our Aquafina Flavorsplash shipments every week. With it hitting 90+ degrees here in Alabama and spending most of our nights at the barn or days in our little kid pool I always worry about the boys and myself being dehydrated. Up till starting this review series I'd have to say my water drinking habits were lacking. It's just been a habit to reach for the soda or juice pack in the fridge and I know that's something I really need to change if I ever want to make my weight loss goals. Aquafina's Flavorsplash water is not only my first choice when its in the fridge but Connor heads right for it as well.

I'm actually a week behind on our post as both boys were sick last week with fevers and I was the lucky winner of one myself early in the week. I've been lucky just to get my homework done much less getting my writing in. I've always wondered how mothers of five do it when their kids get sick, though if I had the money I'd be pushing Chris for that many as well! Last week's shipment was lemon flavor and I was a little apprehensive. I usually do not like lemons in my water (or in anything but deserts and candy for that matter) but the Aquafina Flavorsplash water with lemon is excellent. It has more of a sweet flavor than a sour and I have to say it feels great on a sore throat as I've been sporting one all week. Something about the cold and the lemon is just soothing.

Speaking of lemon's this is the best time of year to make lemon aid! Why not try freezing some Aquafina Flavorsplash lemon water in ice cube trays and have lemon flavored ice to go with your lemon aid or add them to other drinks that go well with lemon like your ice tea or even as a little extra something to add to your plain water. No need for lemon slices when you have lemon flavored ice cubes!

If you'd like to try some Aquafina Flavorsplash for yourself or even if your already a fan there is a $1 off coupon available online right now!

 “I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for Aquafina FlavorSplash and have received various FlavorSplash samples to facilitate my participation. Mom Central will send me a gift card at the end of the program.”

Keeping hydrated and loosing weight plus an Aquafina giveaway!

I've decided that I refuses to be lazy this time around with baby number two and I WILL loose the weight I put on with baby number one! Heh. Actually I only gained 30 lbs when I was pregnant with Dylan and I've already gotten under my prebaby weight with him but the weight I put on when I was pregnant with Connor is still there and I'm not happy with it. I'm happy to report that in the last week I've lost four pounds and part of that has to do with the fact that I've started substituting water for soda whenever I can stand to do so. I'm a verified absolute soda addict, no doubt, mind you I do only drink diet sodas but regardless I'd prefer soda almost over food some days.

I was recently choosen to be one of the Aquafina FlavorSplash Moms and it couldn't have come at a better time. Its getting warm down here in Alabama and I've started riding horses again and let me tell you anyone who said that riding is not a good workout is dead wrong. I've also started taking the boys with me to the barn so its really important that we stay hydrated and seeing as we spend most evenings at the barn I just took it on myself to totally stock our barn fridge with Aquafina waters, not a soda in sight. In return I've ended up substituting more than half of my soda intake a day with Aquafina water and I have to give at least partial credit to the water substitution to my weight loss. The other half totally belongs to Monkey the little quarter horse who I've been riding several days a week, who is in FAR better shape than I am. I think thats pretty evident from the fact that usually when we are done she is barely breaking a sweat and I'm barely walking. heh. It's ok I'll catch up with her sooner than later I hope.

As part of the Aquafina FlavorSplash Mom program I'm getting six weekly shipments of Aquafina flavored water. This week's shipment was Wild Berry which is usually the flavor I buy if I'm picking one up at the store. I really have to say after the first day of my body being in total shock that I've been drinking more water than anything else I even woke up this morning and drank one of my Aquafina waters instead of a soda which is usually my version of "coffee" in the morning. I actually made it all the way till lunch till I had a soda at all today which is almost unheard of.

There is a $1 off a six pack of Aquafina FlavorSplash available right now as well!

Aquafina was kind enough to send us some coupons and their awesome new lip gloss in Aquafina flavors to try out as well. I'm giving away two gift packs of lip glosses and a free coupon for a six pack of Aquafina to two lucky winners this week!

To Enter :

• Leave a comment on this post. Just check out the Aquafina website and check out the selection of Aquafina FlavorSpalsh flavors. Let us know which is your favorite!
• Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
• Please US entries only.
• To get extra credit :
  
  
  
  • For an extra entry - Please post each extra entry in a separate post  :
  • Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add my button to your sidebar and let me know its there. (please note if you have our old button on your sidebar you'll need to update the link/image) 
  • Subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
  • Let people know about the giveaway on Twitter with a link to the giveaway! 
  • Join our Facebook Page!
  • BONUS - I'm allowing a fifth entry for a limited time for those of you who have previously blogged/linked to us in exchange for an entry. Update all the links you have on your site going to our old url (sevendogs) to superheroboy.com and get a extra entry. All you have to do is replace superheroboy in the link where sevendogsandababy appears. 
  • This contest will end May 31st at midnight!
  
  
  
  
   “I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for Aquafina FlavorSplash and have received various FlavorSplash samples to facilitate my participation. Mom Central will send me a gift card at the end of the program.”
  
  

Make some delicious cookies and donate to a good cause!

 Betty Crocker has always been a household favorite around here! Actually Connor's first baking experience was making a pack of Betty Crocker cookies. Mind you the little snot decided halfway through making the cookies he begged me to make he decided that he HAD to spend the night with my Aunt Betty and before the cookies were ever even done he had taken off to her house. Not that it matters, they were pretty yummy and I enjoyed eating them without him. This time around I'm going to make him stick it out as there is nothing better than eating chocolate chip cookies while they are still warm from the oven.

For every box of especially marked Stirring up Wishes Betty Crocker products you buy you will also be donating 10 cents to the Make A Wish foundation. Combine that with the Box Tops for Education also found on most all Betty Crocker products you can give money to two very worth wild causes! You can help a child's wish come true as well as help a school meet their goals! All the while eating delicious deserts! Simply purchase your favorite Betty Crocker® products this spring. For every specially marked package purchased, Betty Crocker will donate 10¢ to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, with a guaranteed minimum donation of $250,000 and a maximum donation of $500,000!

Betty Crocker and My Blog Spark have provided us with a second gift pack to give away to our readers!

• Leave a comment on this post. Just check out the Betty Crocker Stirring up Wishes website and tell us about a wish a child has made!
• Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
• Please US entries only.
• To get extra credit :
  
  
  • For an extra entry :
  • Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add my button to your sidebar and let me know its there. (please note if you have our old button on your sidebar you'll need to update the link/image)
  • Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
  • Let people know about the giveaway on Twitter with a link to the giveaway! 
  • THREE extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
  • BONUS - I'm allowing a fourth entry for a limited time for those of you who have previously blogged/linked to us in exchange for an entry. Update all the links you have on your site going to our old url (sevendogs) to superheroboy.com and get a extra entry. All you have to do is replace superheroboy in the link where sevendogsandababy appears. 
  • This contest will end April 30th at midnight!
      
  Disclosure: We received our Betty Crocker Stirring up Wishes gift pack and giveaway free of charge from Betty Crocker and My Blog Spark to do this review. My opinions and comments on items we review are always my own and are never influenced by sponsors.
   
   
  

Car rides can be fun with Subway!

I'm already starting to have nightmares about the stories Chris's mom tells me about the car trips with her three kids. Lucky for me at the moment Connor for the most part is a perfect angel on long car trips at the moment. No "Are we there yet?" statements, or making weird smells, ok well um strike the weird smells, in the backseat. Though our trip was eventful with my crazy cravings and having to go to the bathroom every thirty seconds thanks to baby number two. Lucky for me Subway hooked us up with a gift certificate for the trip and thanks to Subway's $5 foot long deal I didn't feel even remotely guilty that I made Chris stop at Subway at least twice on the drive up and back down. Personally I absolutely love turkey subs, toasted, with ranch, with bacon added. Yummie!

Subway wants to make your upcoming rode trip a little more fun! I have a $10 gift certificate, a small soft sided cooler, and a selection of miniature board games to give away to one of my readers! The bag is worth $35-40 and each bag is unique so actual contents may vary.

Don't forget that Subway has an awesome resteruant store locator! You can find the nearest Subway anywhere in the US or anywhere in the world! I used this handy little application from my iphone while we were driving to find my favorite sandwhich while we on vacation!



To enter :

• Leave a comment on this post. Visit the SUBWAY restaurant locator and tell me which Subway is nearest to your house. While your over there check out the menu and tell me what healthy meal would you order for you or your family with your $10 gift card!!
  
• Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
• Please US entries only.
• To get extra credit :
  • For an extra entry :
  • Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
  • Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
  • Let people know about the giveaway on Twitter with a link to the giveaway!
    
  • THREE extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
  • This contest will end Sept 15th at midnight!

Subway wants kids to be active!

I hate to say this as I sound terribly old and I'm soon going to start quoting my grandfather and his "When I was a kid stories" but seriously kids these days just don't get outside enough and play. Video games and the internet has replaced hopscotch and figuring out how far you can ride your bike. Sure I played my fair share of video games growing up.. and I even spent way too much time on my computer. However I can't remember a summer where my hair didn't turn strawberry blond from being outside or being covered head to toe in freckles from being out in the sun. I pass kids at the mall or in the store all the time that are pale like they have never set foot outside, and this is Alabama folks! Mind you I'm white as a ghost and I spent most of my time at my computer working but I'm set on not allowing that to happen with Connor and the new baby.

Subway wants to encourage kids to get out and get active. Earlier this summer they sent us out a P.E.P. rally kit (Play more, Eat right, Push away the screen) with tons of cool summer activies to help us get out and get active. Mind you I'm a bit behind and my summer was ridiculously busy so I'm a little late getting this out. Regardless I'm whole heartily behind Subway's efforts and their partnership with the National Institute of Health and the NIH’s We Can! program (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity and Nutrition). This program helps encourage kids to step away from that TV and all their electronic devices and step outside and get active!

Included in the kit is a $10 Subway gift card so you can treat your family to a healthy meal at your local Subway restaurant and a huge box of fun outside toys. August may be starting soon but it was over 90 degrees here today so I'm positive you can get some good use out of the toys. Don't forget you can get a footlong for $5 at Subway which for your $10 you can easily feed a family of four with a few additions of some sides and drinks. We have a Subway just down the road and usually about once a month we stop in and pick up a few foot longs and put them in the fridge and eat them for lunch for several days. They are delicous and its an easy lunch or dinner when I'm just not feeling up to cooking.

To enter :

• Leave a comment on this post. Visit the SUBWAY restaurant locator and tell me which Subway is nearest to your house. While your over there check out the menu and tell me what healthy meal would you order for you or your family with your $10 gift card!!
  
• Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
• Please US entries only.
• To get extra credit :
  • For an extra entry :
  • Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
  • Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
  • Let people know about the giveaway on Twitter with a link to the giveaway!
    
  • THREE extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
  • This contest will end August 15th at midnight!

Yum buttery goodness!

I introduced Connor to butter for the first time this week. Ok maybe this was not exactly the best way to go about it but when I was little I absolutely loved butter. I still do, who am I even kidding, but as a kid I'd eat butter with a spoon if you let me. The only thing stopping me these days is the fact that I already need to loose some weight the last thing I need is to be caught with a spoon and a jar full of butter. Connor on the other hand could stand to gain a bunch of weight so I guess that's ok.

Ironically enough even though people seem to think eating your butter with some bread is somehow bad for you I'd like to change your mind on that. I'm notorious about missing breakfast or even worst eating something terrible for breakfast like a sugar coated pastry roll or something out of a box that honestly I'm not 100% sure what it is. I'd have to say that 99% of my weight problem has to do with the fact that I rarely ever cook a real meal these days and I'm so desperately hungry that I eat whatever happens to be within arm reach in the cabinet. Over the summer I'm bound and determined that I will stop that. The first stop on the road to snacking recovery is mission one.. eat breakfast. Who even said I had to cook to eat a fulfilling breakfast? Actually my favorite breakfast of all time is some scrambled eggs (I even know how to cook them in the microwave in less than a minute if you want to rush things!) and a slice of toast with a good wallup of butter. This is a joy I'm teaching Connor and I don't feel a bit guilty about it. Why? Because Country Crock has a new product out that makes me love butter even more!

Country Crock s new butter spread with Vitamin D and Calcium has me wanting to go singing and dancing right into the grocery store. You can check out the label on the Country Crock website and if you look closely its only 50 calories per teaspoon and within that teaspoon your also getting 10% your daily calcium and a whopping 20% of your vitamin D for the day. That doesn't sound like much but I'd venture to guess that not unlike your children that most women are not consuming the recommended amount of calcium per day either! I would be the first to admit that I'm certainly not, not on my current diet. Compared to those sugary pastries and who knows what else I usually eat in the morning 50 calories with a piece of bread and some eggs is really quite tame. Not to mention that I feel way more satisfied after eating toast with butter than I ever do eating dry cereal or random nonsense. Feeling more satisfied means I snack less as well. The most important thing though is Connor is getting something good for him instead of overly processed unidentifiable foods.

Thanks Mom Central and Country Crock for reminding me what breakfast is all about. If you guys would like to try the new Country Crock you can download a .55 cents off coupon on their website! While your over there do the Country Crock quiz for a chance to win a $25 gift card or a trip to Yellowstone!

Who said you had to slave in the kitchen?

Ok, shh don't tell anyone but over the last few years I've become the laziest cook ever. Basically if it doesn't jump in the oven and heat itself it might as well not exist. Heh. Ok maybe I'm not that bad but it seems like it more weeks than not. I made Tacos a few weeks ago and actually chopped up and sauteed bell peppers and zucchini and minced it up really fine and added it to my meat and seasonings and the daddy person around here almost had a heart attack as it took me a good two hours to make dinner. The one thing I totally regret though is the fact that I haven't made homemade spaghetti, um since before Connor was born. That used to be my signature dish and I love spaghetti. I haven't even made spaghetti in general more than a dozen times in the last year partially because I really am always slightly disappointed in store bought sauces.

Ragu has two new flavors in their Ragu Old World Style Sauce that may just tempt me to get back on the spaghetti wagon. Mom Central sent over a coupon so we could try it ourselves and though it was a really hard choice between the Sweet Tomato Basil and the Margherita with pizza flavorings, and who said I had to choose at all.. lol I bought both. In the end it was the Ragu Old World Style Sweet Tomato Basil that won out, partially because I had a brilliant plan. My home made sauce's secret ingredient is fresh basil and a ton of garlic. The problem is it takes a good day to prepare and simmer so you end up making it one day and eating the next. I just don't have that sort of time. So needless to say my brilliant plan was to cook a pound of sweet Italian sausage and add some minced garlic to the meat. That wasn't so painful and it only took a few minutes to brown. Once I was done I took half the meat and froze it for another occasion and added the other half to the Sweet Tomato Basil Sauce. The end result would totally fool you into thinking I actually made my home made sauce. I think I'm actually a little disappointed that it came out so well as um... why do I spend a whole day making my sauce when I could spend 10 minutes?! Heh. With the addition of the meat the one jar of sauce actually almost doubled so I still ended up with half of what I made left over which I then froze so next time we can just take it out of the freezer microwave, boil the pasta, and tada dinner is done!

So I guess the moral of this story is, I don't need to be so critical of myself when it comes to the kitchen and I don't have to slave to make my family happy. I'm even positive that buying the Ragu sauce and adding my meat was actually cheaper than buying all my ingredients that I classically make my sauce with. Plus I still have 1/2 pound of the meat left that I can use in another dish. I'm thinking of possibly trying to use the Margherita sauce and the meat that's left over and making mini pizzas. What do you guys think?

Thanks Mom Central and Ragu for taking a little stress off my plate. The good news is this is my last week of class and I have ALL summer off. Wee. I may just break out my pots and pans and make something from scratch for my family. I think they'd have a heart attack at this point. heh.

Check out the Ragu website for recipes and meal ideas as well as learn more about the Old World Style sauces!

I love yogurt so this is a huge plus!

I've always been a big fan of yogurt since I was a little person, not that I'm overly big now at 4'10 but you get the point. So as I've gotten older I've always appreciated the fact that yogurt is one of those "deserts" that tastes great and really makes you feel like you've eaten something bad for you but for the most part its really good for you. So when Yoplait offered me the chance to try out their new Yo-Plus Yogurt I was pretty excited.

Yoplait Yo-Plus Yogurt combines the great taste of yogurt with probiotic cultures, fiber, and vitaims to give your yogurt a whole extra healthy kick that many of us really need. I'm sure your thinking "Probiotic? You mean that stuff that helps your digestic tract? I'm not old I don't need help pooping". Ok maybe thats a little to much info but seriously stress, lack of sleep, not having time to eat a healthy diet, you know all those things that are so common of mom's and well women in general do a real number on your digestive tract. Not to mention your health and weight. Yo-plus is one of those great tasting snacks that will keep you on your diet at only 110 calories per serving but it will also help your body stay on track as well.

So I was curious if all these fancy additives would have an affect of the simple pleasures of yougurt, you know its great taste! I went out and got two flavors to try the vanilla and the new blueberry acai and I can tell you without a doubt that it may just be my favorite yogurt to date. The flavors do not have any weird aftertastes or unusual textures its actually one of the creamy full flavored yogurts I've ever eaten. I liked it so much I ended up going out and buying three more boxes the next week and tried to stick the the one per day recommendations by yoplait. They are totallly safe and healthy for kids and even infants to eat so Connor got to try them as well and he attempts to take them out of the fridge every time we go in there to get him a glass of juice or milk.

We'd really love for you to try Yoplait Yo-Plus for yourself and you can pick up a $1.00 off coupon on the Yoplait website so you can try it. If you hate it no worries as Yoplait will happily refund your money no questions asked all the details are on the website.

I have three Yoplait gift bags including a cool freezer bag to keep your yogurt cool on the way home from the store, a water bottle, mini notebook and a coupon for a free Yo-plus to try for yourself!

To enter :

• Leave a comment on this post. Check out Yoplait Yo-Plus and share some tips with us on how you plan on staying healthy this year!
• Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
• Please US entries only.
• To get extra credit :
  • For an extra entry :
  • Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
  • Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
  • One extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
  • This contest will end April 15th at midnight!

An old dog may just be able to learn some new tricks.

It's been quite a journey doing wine reviews for our Valentine's Day features. The experience has really made me move out of my comfort zone and old habits of buying the same dozen or so wines from the same three or four regions over and over again. I'm usually a red girl and depending on my mood a Merlot (as its usually cheap and good), usually wines from the Bordeaux area of France, and sometimes I venture out of my red zone and just pick something up randomly and see how it goes. Up till now whites and rose wines were never even on the radar here.

So enter the beautiful pinkish colored wine Domaine Carneros Cuvée de la Pompadour Brut Rosé stage left. I have to admit I've always been a bit intrigued by rose wines the color is very appealing and there is something romantic about a rose wine. The Domaine Carneros Cuvée de la Pompadour Brut Rosé is no ordinary rose wine this wine this wine will appeal to the experienced wine drinkers as well as the casual crowd who may just be looking for something for a special night or dinner. This particular Brut is not only beautiful to look at but its a sure winner with the girls in your life as this Brut has a smooth flavor with just a hint of strawberry. It's got enough of a fruit flavor to make the ladies happy but its smooth enough that its a great choice for a formal occasion. Kind of like a really nice sterling silver band bracelet that looks as good with jeans as it does with a black dress. heh.

Priced at about $36 a bottle I would consider it in the mid range of wines. Usually If I'm buying a wine for a small dinner party I usually spend around $30-35 a bottle though I realize many wines can cost upwards of $100 a bottle I would consider those wines for very very special occasions and I'm a firm believer that you do not have to spend an outrageous amount of money to get something really great. So my personal rule of thumb on buying a wine is I compare it to dinner costs at a restaurant. If you were going out to a fancy dinner at a formal restaurant you'd expect to pay $20-35 a plate so the same could be said for your wine.

You can learn more about Domaine Carneros Cuvée de la Pompadour Brut Rosé on the Domaine Carneros website.

Stop & Shop is brilliant!!

For those of you lucky enough to live near a Stop & Shop you can now shop their stores and easily recognize healthy food choices without even looking at labels. Stop & Shop has placed Healthy Ideas labels on over 3000+ items in their stores. To explain what is considered an Healthy Ideas item lets take it directly from Stop & Shop's mouth : "Healthy Ideas was created to make it easy for you to shop for healthy foods without reading all the labels. We took into account the things that matter to all of us - calories, fat, cholesterol, and sodium - and developed criteria that evaluated foods based on the FDA and USDA guidelines. We also made sure that every Healthy Ideas food has at least 10% of the daily recommended amount of one nutrient, such as Calcium or Vitamin C."

Stop & Shop used to be a daily event in my life when I lived in the northeast. I had a Stop & Shop within a few blocks of my house when I lived in Boston and routinely but some of their new shopping make me wish I still had one near enough to visit. Stop & Shop's Healthy Ideas items do not end in the store, you can not only easily identify items that are good for you on the shelves but you can visit the Healthy Idea's section on Stop & Shop's website and download recipes to use with Healthy Idea's items. It's just one way Stop & Shop is investing in their customer's health.

I have to say though the new feature at Stop & Shop stores that makes me giggle with joy is the handheld scanners that are available in stores. You can use the scanner to scan each item as you put it in your cart, the scanners not only keep track of what your buying but give you a running total. If your a mom like me on a strict budget this allows you to decide just what you need to buy without any surprises at checkout. It also helps you control buying extra junk that you really don't need but once your at checkout you just are too ashamed to put it back. heh. Usually for me its cookies and other junk food that make it in my cart but once I'm at checkout I feel committed to buy it.

Check out the Stop & Shop website and the Healthy Ideas section to learn more or find a Stop & Shop near you! Thanks Mom Central for letting us know!

You had me at hello!

I live in a whole community of beer drinkers. All of my friends and family members are beer lovers and what does a girl who loves wine and for the most part thinks beer smells and tastes rotten do with a fancy meal or a party? Well the hope is that I can convince my otherwise beer loving friends that wine is indeed cool and quite tasty to boot.

Jaqk Wines however have one thing that the previous wines I've attempted to get my guy pal's attention than my previous attempts Jaqk wines are as beautiful as they are tasty. Regardless of the crowd your looking to impress the incredibly gorgeous and classy labels that Jaqk wine's sport will get anyone's attentions. Forget centerpieces who needs them when they are staring at a bottle of Black Clover on the table. Regardless if your a red wine drinker or not you cannot deny that the bottle peaks your interest. Personally Black Clover had me at hello, its mysterious black label and rich red tone screams delicious Merlot and I am certainly not a girl that can turn that down as this wine speaks my language. I couldn't decide if I wanted to savor looking at it or drink it right on the spot. Actually if your not a wine drinker and you want to start out a Merlot is the perfect starting point. Merlots are often found as a table wine in southern France as its a great smooth red that goes well with almost any meal. Jaqk's Black Clover is amazing with just a hint of fruitiness its not overwhelming and though I'm no wine expert I'm positive it will wow your dinner party from the moment you put it on the table. At around $48 a bottle its not an every day wine for most of us but for those special occasions or even Valentine's Day its well worth it and you will find yourself having a hard time parting with the bottle after your done.

If your a white wine lover Pearl Handle may be just the thing. Usually for some odd reason I associate white wines as a woman's wine but Pearl Handle will attract everyone to the table. Pearl Handle was inspired by the wild west and its label gives you the feeling that you've brought a little of those salons home with you. Even though it was named for the wild west salons this wine is anything but rough around the edges. Pearl Handle is smooth, romantic, and dare I say a little on the sexy side? It would be the perfect partner to a surprise romantic dinner at home and is classy enough to make itself right at home at your most important events and parties.

Jaqk's wine collection is well worth a look if your a seasoned wine drinker or if your just looking to something to really wow your guests or loved ones. From what I've seen thus far I'm anxious to try them all myself!

Visit Jaqk Cellars to lpurchase the wine directly from their website or even buy a gift box for someone you love for Valentines Day!

A special favor for a special day!!

Connor's birthday is coming up sooner than I would like and last year my biggest problem was finding unique favor and decorating ideas for his party. In the end last year I ended up staying awake all night making balloon animals all night. That would have been fine and dandy if it wasn't for the fact that the balloon animals did not last long once we were actually at the party. It was an outdoor party and it was a bit windy so though the kids loved the balloon animals they ended up all over the playground or worst ended up getting popped leaving crying kids. Nothing like having the head of a balloon dog going pop but the body still intact. It's a little unfestive. I was pretty proud of my animals though.

So this year for Connor's birthday I'm planning on using something that everyone will enjoy both kids and parents alike. Connor's favorite candy and one of the few candies I allow in the house is just plain chocolate M&Ms they are small, easy to ration, and as much as we both love chocolate I do not necessarily enjoy a candy bar dripping down the front of his face. M&Ms have always been our first choice for a chocolate craving as you can just eat a few and beat that craving and they are the perfect size for small rewards especially when we get to potty training.

Just plain ole M&Ms are fun and tasty but how cool would it be to have M&Ms made just for you. You can choose the color combos, add custom text, and even add a photo if you wish! So for Connor's birthday I can have a picture of the birthday boy on one side and Happy Birthday on the other. Talk about some jealous kiddies when they see the birthday boy on their favorite candy.

Now I just have to resist eating them until the big day! Thanks Mom Central for letting us know!

Make your own custom M&Ms at the M&Ms website!

What are you making for your new years party?

I have been so busy lately and after Christmas the last thing I have on my mind is making a big meal, after unloading my Christmas cash stash on a few last minute gifts for Connor the budget is a little slim this time of year as well. I've been thinking and thinking what on earth will I make for my New Years guests that would not only be fast and easy but affordable. I recently got a little gift package from Velveeta that included a bunch of great recipes, and it hit me Velveeta is not only delicious but its the perfect cheese to make fabulous and affordable party meals!

It's been a very long time since I bought a "loaf" of Velveeta. As a child my mom would buy the spicy Velveeta loafs and I would cut off a chunk after school and melt it into the perfect and quick cheese dip. So I thought why not make my favorite cheese dip from my childhood, what could be simpler, yummier, and cheap?! Though you still can get the flavored Velveeta(Mexican Mild is my personal favorite) I ended up getting a plain 32oz loaf. I also picked up some canned green chilies, which are usually located near the taco ingredients. All I did was cut the loaf in half, stick it in a small pot on the stove and start melting it, and add a small can of drained green chilis to the cheese slowly until the cheese was a spicy as I wanted it. In the end I ended up with a delicious cheese dip for only a few dollars that would serve a big crowd. The second half of the loaf was reserved to cut into small cubes to melt for Connor for his crackers.

Cheese dip is only one of hundreds of ways you can use your Velveeta. Velveeta also makes amazing mac and cheese, pastas, casseroles, and something you may have never thought about but I make Connor little sandwiches for lunch quite often and if you slice your Velveeta thin it makes for the perfect melted cheese on a warmed sandwich. Actually Velveeta can be added to almost any dish that calls for a meltable cheese. I've even melted it over my tacos at times!

You can check out the Velveeta website to find some some great recipes and read more about Velveeta and its history! In the meantime I'll be here drooling over thinking about eating my dip!

I have several Velveeta coupons, for free Velveeta, to give away to one lucky reader!

To enter :

• Leave a comment on this post. Check out the Velveeta website and tell me how you would use Velveeta in an upcoming dinner party!
• Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
• Please US entries only.
• To get extra credit :
  • For an extra entry :
  • Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
  • Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
  • One extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
  • This contest will end Jan 30th at midnight!

Something yummy for your holiday parties.

I'm terrible at holiday parties. I have no idea what to make and sure I can make a killer turkey and even some great gravy and mash potatoes but where I fall short is I have no clue and I do mean NO clue where to even begin when it comes to appetizers. My family on the other hand makes a holiday spread that looks like something out of a magazine. It's almost shameful how much food shows up at our holiday feasts and I on the other hand is always stuck bringing the tea... (premade bottled tea) which I'm fairly sure means they don't actually trust me to cook anything. heh. So needless to say when I heard about the Ocean Spray and Heinz Ultimate Party Meatballs I knew I had to check it out because I seriously need a little help in the appetizer department and seeing as Connor's birthday will be rolling around faster than I would like (ok in April but still that's faster than I would like) I need something to make at his party.

The recipe for the all famous Ultimate Party Meatballs is pretty simple :

• 1 16oz can Oceanspray Jellied Crandberry Sauce
• 1 12oz can Heinz Chili Sauce
• 1 2lb bag frozen precooked cocktail sized meatballs

There is directions to cook them in a saucepan but personally I find that using the slow cooker is just easier as you can then transport them in your slow cooker as well if needed. Go ahead and put the meatballs, chili sauce, and cranberry sauce in the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours. That's it.. your done.. seriously.. that's it!

I couldn't be more excited about this recipe it couldn't be simpler and its so yummy when done. The meatballs are also kid friendly so its a good recipe to make for birthday party as well as a holiday party!

Actually with that said The Ultimate Party Meatballs website has a ton of super super easy recipes that use Heinz and Oceanspray products to make simple delicious meals from appetizers to main dishes for the whole family. Once I'm feeling better this week I think I'm going to make the Slow Cooker Sweet and Smokey Barbecue Pulled Pork. We absolutely love barbecue around here and its usually pretty cheap to make as it will feed us for several days. BBQ also freezes very well so leftovers can be saved for a week or two later as well!

A big thanks to Mom Central for letting us know about the awesome Ultimate Party Meatballs, you better bet I'm bringing them to the next holiday get together. While your over at the Ultimate Party Meatballs website make sure you enter the sweepstakes as well you can win $3000 or a slow cooker!

Not at all the Chex Mix I remember.

Chex Mix was always a staple snack for my family growing up, either buying the premade or making home made Chex Mix from the cereal. It's still easily one of my favorite snacks. The newest Chex Mix addition is the Chex Mix Turtle Bars which is not at all like the Chex Mix I remember! The Chex Mix Turtle Bars are 150 calories of delicious chocolate, carmel, pretzels, and peanuts into a chewie but still crunchy bar that tastes way more fattening than it really is, every girl I know has chocolate cravings at least once a month and they are a great and really filling way to solve them!

In celebration of their new addition Chex Mix would really love to pamper one mom with a luxury gift basket including all the ingredients for one relaxing night away from the kids. Included is some chocolate scented candles, delicious tasting caramel lotion, a loofah, massager, spa towel, and if the candles and lotion leaves you craving chocolate don't worry the Turtle Chex Mix Bars are included as well!

To enter :

• Leave a comment on this post. Check out all of the varieties of Chex Mix and tell me which you'd most like to try!
  
• Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
• Please US entries only.
• To get extra credit :
• For an extra entry :
• Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
• Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
• One extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
• This contest will end Dec 15th at midnight!

Yummy flakey goodness!

So your having a dinner party or you just want to make something special for the family. The only problem is if your like me you have a toddler attached to your leg at all times and cooking can be quite difficult. So what are you to do?

Well Pillsbury has a brand new product out that will leave your family actually believing that you have been slaving over the stove all afternoon with the puff pastries... yum.

Pillsbury Savorings Flaky Pastry Bites are a warm and flaky pastry dough that come in three different filling options : cheese and spinach, buffalo chicken and mozzarella pepperoni. Connor has a thing for spinach so we picked up a box of the cheese and spinach and wow are they good. Perfect for a family meal but fancy enough that dinner guests would have no idea that you just got them from the freezer. If you'd like to give them a try there is a $1.00 off coupon over on the Pillsbury website right now!

Pillsbury is as excited as we are about the new Savorings and would like to offer a pretty cool gift bag to one lucky reader!

Included :

coupon for a free box of Savorings
wood wine bottle topper
box of wine charms
bottle opener
wine and food guide
stampable wine tag
and
appetizer plate that also holds your wine glass!!

It all comes in a gift bag that is just the right size for a wine bottle so you can reuse it to give someone a gift this Christmas!

Savorings are located in the freezer section at your local grocery store you should really give them a try!

To enter :

• Leave a comment on this post. Tell us which variety of Savorings you'd like to try and just for fun if you'd like to see a new flavor tell us what that would be!
  
• Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
• Please US entries only.
• To get extra credit :
• For an extra entry :
• Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
• Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
• One extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
• This contest will end Nov 30th at midnight!