Healthy #GoodNightSnack with Kellogg’s Cereal #cbias

This shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

I have said it before and I will say it again, I love sweets! I usually work out, come home and eat dinner and then my favorite – dessert. Since I’ve been trying to eat healthier you would think that dessert would be off the table. But to keep myself from indulging I eat a healthy snack. My favorite late night snack (or anytime snack really) is cereal. It’s a great healthy alternative to candy, ice cream, cakes. My absolute favorite cereal is Kellogg’s Special K  chocolaty delight that I always find at Walmart. Mmmm… it’s fulfilling and curbs my craving for unhealthy snacks.

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Not only have I made the change – but so have my kids. Pretty much any type we get the craving to snack – if it’s not fruit or  veggies – it’s cereal.  I literally have about a dozen boxes of cereal at one time in our pantry. We all have our favorites, not to mention sometimes you crave different things so I always like to make sure that I have plenty ‘in stock’.

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Kellogg’s has a lot of great varieties of cereals for everyone’s taste buds.  They just came out with 2 more great cereals Kellogg’s Jif Peanut Butter Cereal, and Kellogg’s Rice Krispies MultiGrain Shapes.  My youngest daughter is a big fan of Jif Peanut Butter so we figured we’d try it out.

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We are also a Corn Pops family well. That and Fruit Loops are my son’s favorite. We actually pack those 2 as dry cereal in his lunch, or he snacks on it while he has his T.V. time. He  drinks his milk instead of having it in the bowl, and that saves a lot of mess!

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Cereal is a perfect snack not only for a late night craving,  but a great movie snack as well! Kellogg’s agrees, and they are sponsoring a Movie Night at select Walmart locations.

Check out Movie Night at Your Local Walmart:

Store number: 3790: Address: 16241 S. Farrell Rd. Lockport, IL 60441. Phone number:(815)838-1027, Date of event: 7/26/14

Store number: 648: Address: 1661 Jungermann Rd St. Peters, MO 63304. Phone number: (636)447-4450, Date of event: 8/2/14

Store number: 491: Address: 5130 Hinkleville Rd Paducah, KY 42001. Phone number:(270)444-0066, Date of event: 8/9/14

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Posted in Fitness/Health | 37 Comments

TMNT Birthday Party Fun!

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Oriental Trading. Though I received promotional items for my time, all opinions are my own.

Every year I spend hours – and I mean hours – going through the internet and magazines with my kids so they can decide on a ‘theme’ for their birthday party. I love when they pick something I can go all out for, especially if it’s something they really love. Earlier this year my daughter had a “Party in Paris” with some great items we got from Oriental Trading, so I decided to let my son take a look at their website so see what he might enjoy. Let me tell you he had a hard time deciding they had so many options to chose from in his age range.

They have super heroes, cowboys, pirates, Mickey Mouse, and the list goes on. We narrowed it down from 10 to 4 than  finally 2. He finally decided on a classic  – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

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We tried our hand at our own TMNT cupcakes (you definitely have to make sure you have the right icing)
TMNT2(I am so glad I ordered a cake too!)
But we all had a blast dressing up as Ninja Turtles too!
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Even the dog (don’t you LOVE these masks??!)
TMNT5My son had a ton of fun giving everyone their masks – and of course opening his presents (including some TMNT Lego sets!)

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I loved being able to spend time enjoying his birthday, and not a ton of time trying to get overly creative with the decor – Oriental Trading did that for me for sure!
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He said the most fun he had was with the pinata!

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Quenching That Summer Thirst with Ready-to-Drink Kool-Aid Beverage

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for #CollectiveBias and its advertiser.

As the summer winds up (I know, I can’t believe it either!) I’ve been trying to make smarter choices to get us back on track for a busy school year. We’ve started back with the bedtime routine (that has not been easy), cutting out some of the junk food (goodbye ice cream truck) and I’ve cut out the pop (or as some of you East coast folks call it, soda). Though I drink a ton of water, I miss that sweet flavor and Kool-Aid fruit drinks always hit the spot.

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In typical Walmart fashion, Walmart had a great selection of different Ready-to-Drink Kool-Aid bottle flavors. I love the ready-to-drink bottles because I can just buy them and throw them in the cooler and away we go!  You all know how I try to save time whenever possible (and messes) so these bottles are right up my alley.

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I was super excited to grab some and go for our adults only weekend camping. I made sure to have plenty of my favorite flavors and ice! We didn’t have a lot of room or ways to make the regular Kool-aid packets so the ready-to-drink bottles were perfect! These with plenty of ice made me one happy camper!

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Since I’m not the only Kool-Aid lover in the house, I decided to experiment a bit and make a tasty recipe with Kool-Aid. I decided to make a Kool-Aid snow cone since that’s another favorite summer treat. They are a guilt-free treat, and a great way too cool down from the heat and humidity.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sugar
1 cup Kool-Aid
Ice
Snow Cone Maker or Food Processor
Bottles for your homemade syrup
Snow cone cups

Instructions:

  1. In a medium pan, combine sugar & Kool-Aid. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally
  2. Reduce heat and let simmer 3 minutes
  3. Stir for 1-2 minutes to dissolve completely
  4. Using a funnel, VERY carefully pour the syrup into a bottle
  5. Place in fridge to chill

Snow Cones:
Crush ice in snow cone maker/ or food processor
Put ice into snow cone cup, fill with syrup and enjoy!

 

Jim Dillard, pro fisherman, could be coming to your local Walmart to help promote the new 96 oz bottles! There will be product giveaways, t-shirts, games, and more fun activities!

Friday August 8th 5-7pm:

360 Harbison Blvd Columbia, SC WM Supercenter

Saturday August 9th  3-5pm:

1326 Bush River Rd Columbia, SC WM Supercenter

Saturday August 9th 6-8pm:

2401 Augusta Rd West Columbia, SC WM Supercenter

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Posted in Recipes, Reviews/Giveaways | 7 Comments

Shapewear Dos and Donts

Shapewear has become extremely popular over the last decade as more and more women feel pressure to look thin in their clothing. With the right undergarments, women do not have to shed 10 pounds overnight. Instead, they can shed pounds visually and look better in their clothing. However, in order to drop weight with your clothing looks, you have to find the right waist shaper. The following guide addresses the dos and donts of shapewear to help you.

Do Learn How to Put It On

Shapewear is not the easiest to put on. The garments are often small and constricting. Sometimes the fabric can bunch up and look weird if it is not put on right. When this happens, the pieces do not work properly. In order to avoid this, it is best to step into the shapewear you are wearing. This is recommended for all the pieces you own – even a camisole.

Do Know How Long You Will Be Wearing The Piece

It is important to know how long you will be wearing the shapewear you are investing in. If you are buying a tummy-tucking product, then you want something that will provide you with the maximum benefit. However, you also need to be able to breathe throughout the day. Most women can handle more support for a shorter duration of time. If you have to wear the garment throughout the day, it might be better to get an undergarment that provides less support. Although you might have to sacrifice a few visual pounds, you will be able to feel comfortable.

Do Target Problem Areas

Most people are not going to wear body shapers on every inch of their body. For this reason, it is a good idea to target problem areas on your figure. If you have fat on your mid section, then a waist shaper might be a great product for you. Women with curvy figures might prefer leg-shaping products.

Don’t Buy the Wrong Size

When you are shopping for shapewear, you need to make sure to buy the right size. If you purchase the wrong size, you probably will not get the shaping results you are hoping for. Many people assume that smaller sizes provide more support. This is not the case. These garments just don’t fit properly. They cause parts of the body to bulge and roll. When the shaper is too large, it will move around too much. It will also probably wrinkle and gap. If this happens, it will not look right underneath your clothing.

Don’t Avoid Diet and Exercise

Obviously bodying shaping products are wonderful. They help transform many people’s figures so they look better in their clothing. However, this does not mean that you should quit your diet and exercise plans. Instead, think of shapewear as an option to help you lose the extra weight you are struggling to drop. Also, remember that wonderful benefits come from healthy eating and regular exercise.

There are a variety of different styles of body shaping garments. With this guide, you should be able to select the right ones for your needs. You will also be able to avoid the common mistakes that people make when they purchase these undergarments. Good luck!

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Get the Exclusive Huggies® FREE Sample from Costco!

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Huggies® Brand. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for participating”

I am so excited to announce that I’m participating in the Huggies® Costco Ambassador Program! Costco exclusively carries Huggies® Snug & Dry Plus and Huggies® Natural Care® Plus Baby Wipes.. I raised my kid’s wearing Huggies® and I always bought them ‘in bulk’ at Costco. What I love now is you can even buy them online. I have a reminder in my e-mail when it’t time to order just in case I forget while we are there, and that way I never run out! 

 

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The Huggies® Snug & Dry Plus Diapers come with Lock® system and have a SnugFit* waistband and unique Grip Tabs for a secure fit which sounds more like a recipe for a parachute than a diaper. What all of that means is that nothing is escaping out of the legs front or back, and they fit without pinching or making the baby uncomfortable. We love Huggies®!

The Huggies Natural Care® Plus Wipes are my favorite! We use wipes for everything (including for um, adult bathroom situations) as well as quick clean-ups and for emergencies in the car! The Huggies Natural Care® Plus Wipes use their simplest formula ever and are much thicker. They also come in a new pack with 2 kinds of refillable dispensers (one of which is the NEW Huggies® Clutch ‘n’ Clean* pouch, which comes in every pack of Huggies Natural Care® Plus Wipes), plus a 1160 refill wipes. I do really do love these as they handle the tough messes much easier.

Costco Members – Click here to register for a FREE sample of the Huggies®  Snug & Dry Plus and Huggies Natural Care Plus Baby Wipes. Hurry and register now, there will be a limited number of samples each day starting July 17th through July 26th. Be sure to try back tomorrow if you’re not able to get one today!! You must be a Costco member to get a sample, limit 1  sample per household.

Love to party? Join us at the #SnugandDryPlus Twitter Party this Friday, July 18, 2014 from 1 to 2pm EST! Make sure to follow Huggies on Twitter! 

Posted in Reviews/Giveaways | 1 Comment