Congratulations to our three lucky winners in the Fiber One giveaway:

Besides the giveaways, I have several great reviews in the works including Haagen-Dazs ice cream, Eggo Bake Shop Twists, Kahiki Foods egg rolls and Dei Fratelli tomato products.  Anyone besides me getting really hungry now?

Congratulations, again, to our winners - I look forward to seeing everyone back soon!

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The panels are removable and reusable so I decided to put them to use in a temporary location until the basement is finally finished. Here's a picture of the one that's in the girls' bathroom - the To Do list of the three things I expect from them each morning.

The panels work like regular chalkboards and clean easily with a damp cloth followed by a dry one.  My only complaint is that simply by the nature of what they are, chalkboard panels, they don't have anything to catch chalk dust.  I guess if they're in a designated play area where they are being used like a regular chalk board, you just plan on vacuuming underneath them.

Regardless, I think they're pretty cool and a fun wall feature that is not permanently affixed.  Bright Star Kids has several other themes of wall graphics for people who are creatively decorating a child's room.  In addition, they have various other labeling options. 

If you're in the market for some new decorating pieces, drop by Bright Star Kids to see what they have.  Don't let their location be a deterrent either!

Already the proud owner of some Bright Star wall graphics?  Why not enter their Photo Competition for a chance to win a Wall Graphics kit of your choice or a $50AUD Gift Voucher!

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When Miss M was about to turn a year old, DH and I went on the South Beach Diet. I felt out of sorts all day long.  Changing my eating habits so dramatically shouldn't make me feel as funky as it did so I took a pregnancy test and, holy cow, found out I was pregnant. Quite a remarkable difference than the multiple years of fertility treatments we went through to get pregnant with Miss M. But that's a story for another time...

Anyway, the South Beach Diet was fairly new at the time and was still living under negative shadows left by the Atkins Diet craze. But I was intrigued by the diet and really wanted to lose some of the weight I had gained from the infertility treatments, the pregnancy and the stress of a new baby. I genuinely felt that it was worth sticking to but since my pregnancies were high risk, I would only proceed if I had my doctor's blessing.

During my first OB exam, I brought in literature about the South Beach Diet along with sample meals, snacks and 'rules'. For those who aren't familiar with the SB Diet, it isn't about eliminating carbohydrates from your regimen as much as it is about replacing bad carbs with good ones.

When my doctor looked at the list of all the vegetables that were recommended and the healthy snacks, he smiled and said "That's how we prefer that you eat during your pregnancy." I was overweight and he agreed that losing unhealthy weight while gaining baby weight was a positive health benefit.



We received the original flavor as well as the hot and spicy.  When we used to purchase pork rinds all those years ago, I only recall the original flavor.  It's fun to see the varieties that have evolved since then.  The original flavor make a good snack and are great for cooking substitutes for bread and crackers, but the hot and spicy are my new favorite for snacking.  They are so flavorful that you can only eat a handful before your mouth says "ouch".  And you can't eat them fast which makes you fill up a lot quicker.  There's also a Bar-B-Que flavor now too but I haven't tried it yet.  Although I haven't tried the hot and spicy in cooking yet, I imagine that they would make a good breading for meats.

When my PR rep offered for me to test out the pork rinds, I didn't think the kids would like them so they sent along some of the Cinnamon Churros for the girls.  Yeah, for the kids.  I'll stick with that story.  (Churros...Yum.)  Rudolph's Cinnamon Churros are light and tasty, just like the churros we used to get from street vendors when we lived in southern California. We all loved Rudolph's Churros but I was not ready for the girls' reaction to the pork rinds.  While I don't expect my kids to like everything, I do make them try stuff.  It was a pleasant surprise when they both enjoyed this 'new' pork rinds snack food.  They're just like chips so why wouldn't they like them.  Of course.

Rudolph's pork rinds are available at stores nationwide, in addition to on their website If you're looking to make some changes to your eating, pork rinds are a great alternative. Plus, you can easily find tons of recipes for things from pancakes to dessert. Google pork rind recipes or check out the recipes at Rudolph's.

If you haven't tried pork rinds before, grab a bag or two of Rudolph's the next time you're at the store... be sure to grab a few varieties! If you're like me and haven't had them for a while, reintroduce yourself to them. You'll be glad you did!

Thanks to Rudolph Foods for providing the snacks for this review!

On a side note:  To celebrate the DVD and Blu-Ray Hi-Def release of Mamma Mia! The Movie, Rudolph Foods ran a sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip for two to Greece, the DVDs and free Cinnamon Churros for a year.  The sweepstakes ended January 5, 2009 and they recently announced the winner!

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I started to see double or triple... actually more. Plastered in just about every sales ad last weekend - from the ToysRUs ad to the grocery store ad - was Barbie.  Donning a 2009 version of the same swimsuit she wore when she was first introduced in 1959.  The advertisements all offered the Barbie for $3 explaining "New 2009 style at the 1959 price!"  $3 for a genuine Barbie?

So why has Barbie's picture been everywhere lately?  It's her 50th anniversary.  She's come a long way and little girls everywhere are reaping the benefits.

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I've said it before, my mornings are a bit hectic. What mom doesn't experience the madness of morning rush hour? I'm not referring to the the period of time that you sit in your car, I'm talking about the hour before the kids need to be on the bus.

While I love to be able to sit down with a bowl of cereal or an omelet, I usually find myself rushing through a yogurt or grabbing a granola bar on the way to the gym.

Miss M loves granola bars too, so we always have some stocked in the pantry. I had a coupon for Fiber One bars when I went to the store a few weeks ago and told hubby I wanted to get them to have around as a healthy snack. I even let him pick the flavor that he would be most likely to snack on (Mocha). Well, I had to pick some more up when I went to the store the time after that because he never got a chance to try them.  If there was any Fiber in my box, the mocha ate it before I got to it.  Despite their name, they don't taste like twigs and sticks (or as Fiber One refers to it - "Cardboard No, Delicious Yes"). To me, they are reminiscent of a candy bar. Fiber One Chocolate Mocha bars. Yum.

That day when I returned from the grocery store, there was an invitation from MyBlogSpark to participate in this spark.  Fate, I tell you.

In addition to Fiber One, I've tested the new fiber granola bars put out by both Kelloggs and Quaker. The Kelloggs Fiber Plus bars taste great, but honestly they made me a bit gassy. I didn't have that problem with the Fiber One bars.

Fiber One has expanded their product line to include cereal, bars, yogurt, pancake mix, toaster pastries and bread. We've had the toaster pastries and 4 year old Miss K loves them. I sometimes steal a bite from her, but that box is hers.

As part of this promotion, MyBlogSpark shipped me a spa gift basket along with the offer to give away the same to my readers.  So if you're interested in trying any of the new Fiber One bars, read on!

How to enter:

(1) Visit the Fiber One website.

(2) Come back here and tell me which Fiber One product piques the interest of your taste buds.

-- If you have a blog or website, add my button to your page. Come back here and leave a comment stating that you did so. (Here's the code so it's super easy to add!)

-- Earn THREE additional entries if you publish a blog post regarding this contest and link back to it. Come back here and leave THREE comments providing the link to your post.

-- Share this post via one of the following: Digg, Stumble or Facebook. Leave a comment with which ONE you did and your ID for that service.

-- Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this contest with hashtag #SahmReviews. If you aren't familiar with hashtags, all you do is type #SahmReviews somewhere in your tweet. Comment with your Twitter ID or leave a link.

-- Subscribe to my feed via RSS or email... leave a comment.

-- Follow me using Google's Friend Connect feature.  Of course, don't forget to leave a comment.

-- Follow SAHM Reviews on Facebook  Of course, don't forget to leave a comment.

Thanks to MyBlogSpark for providing the item for review as well as the prize for this giveaway!

Good luck to everyone.

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She proceeded to play the keyboard by looking at the notes and 'reading' the music.  It's not perfect, but it certainly is a wonderful start.  The fact that she continually wanted to play the keyboard with her new instruction tool was a sign that she's interested in learning.

Before I go any further, need to reiterate that I'm musically challenged.  I made a mistake that I honestly didn't even notice until I was prepping the pictures for the blog post.  I didn't line the color strip up correctly with the keys.  Regardless of this error, the music resulting from the lesson still sounded great!  Nonetheless, please don't use my pictures as any kind of teaching aid!

After Miss M put so much enjoyment into her piano lesson, what do you think happened next?  Why, yes, Miss K thought that it was the bees knees.  She insisted on playing with it also.  She did a great job reading the music and producing real songs so I asked why she didn't want to play with it that morning with me.  She bluntly replied "I thought it was going to be hard."  I responded with "Well, was it?"  She smiled and said "No. It's fun."

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What school is complete without a family fun night? Ours was a few weeks ago and I laughed as I watched kids race around with handfuls of tickets. Every once in a while, a ticket would fall and the kids wouldn't even notice.

A few days later, I talked to Janet, a friend of mine, who couldn't attend because one of her kids was sick. She allowed her daughter to ride along with a friend. With her pocket lined with her fun night allowance, she headed off. As Janet explained later, the cash was gone in no time and her daughter was left with nothing but time to kill.

Janet and I joked about how the money would have lasted so much longer if she had been holding the cash or the tickets. That little extra time it took for her daughter to track her down when she needed an influx of tickets for more activities would have made a huge difference.

We're not talking about much money, but it illustrates a good point. Kids need to learn how to manage their money and I commend Janet for giving her elementary school daughter that opportunity. As demonstrated by the countless adults that don't have money management skills, teens and college-aged students need to put this into practice as soon as possible.  Learning how to properly spend their money will help prevent them from becoming part of the paycheck-to-paycheck group once they are on their own.

Many parents realize that money can burn a hole in a pocket. Kids think that if the money runs out, they can just ask mom and dad for more. Give them a credit card? Yikes. I think parents that give their teens or college aged children free reign on a credit card are insane.

Some parents are reluctant to offer up a card to their children and others decide that cosigning on a card for a jobless young adult isn't the best solution either. Apparently Discover took these concerns to heart and created the Current Card. 

The Current card is a prepaid debit card that parents can put some controls on. It's not a traditional debit card; parents can set spending limits and restrict certain merchants. Online statements allow parents to monitor how their young adult is spending the money.

Maybe your teen is more responsible and has a part-time job. They can load their paycheck onto their Current card through direct deposit. The current card isn't designed solely for controlling spending; it is also a way to give teens the opportunity to safely have spending money without the fear of carrying cash or losing a regular credit card.

As a bonus, Current card members are eligible for discounts at select merchants, restaurants and movie theaters. Parents earn Discover Cashback Bonus when they use their own Discover card to load their teenager's Current card.

The only downside to the program would be the fees. However, $5 per month isn't much when you consider the long-term financial responsibility lesson that is being learned.

Thanks to Mom Central for the introducing me to the Discover Current Card.  If you think the Current Card is a good match for your family then go check it out. While it was designed with kids ages 13 to 18 in mind, young adults 18 or older can apply for their own!

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The other day at school was pajama day for Miss M's kindergarten class. The entire class showed up for school in their pajamas, equipped with sleeping bags, blankies, pillows and stuffed animals.

We have done this pajama thing each year for preschool and I know it's a common thing at the elementary schools. I always make sure I send them in one of their PJs that looks like an outfit and is not at all revealing.

Well this time, I didn't have any choices. Miss M knew exactly what she was going to wear and my job was to hide it for several days to make sure it stayed clean.

A few weeks back, we received a new pair of pajamas from LittleMissMatched as part of a blog tour for MomFuse. Let me tell you that when I was invited to participate, trying to figure out what I wanted to get from there was very difficult. Sooo many cute things to choose from! Well, Miss M has this fascination right now with rainbows and anything multi-colored. So when I spotted the black zany pajamas, it was game over.

As soon as that package arrived on our doorstep, she was all over it. Since then, she has worn them the night I wash them, even if that means she just wore them the night before. I'm not kidding.  I haven't showed her yet that they have tights, tanks, panties, t-shirts, socks AND accessories to match.  Or in the case of LittleMissMatched - to NOT match.  They have several different color schemes and themes that carry throughout the entire line so your little missy can look stylishly uncoordinated from head to toe.

There are tons of adorable outfits at LittleMissMatched, but that isn't all they sell.  For example, I was checking out their bedding.  You know what?  They have a zany bedding set also!  And here's a small glimpse of some of their totally cool furniture.

I have to say that the only thing that seemed a little odd was the limited selection of boys stuff.  I mean, boys like to not match also but they do it in a not supposed to look good together kind of way.  So pretty much the only thing at LittleMissMatched for boys would be some socks and flip flops.  Then I realized "Oh, it's Little MISS Matched, not Little MR Matched."  But that wouldn't make sense anyway because then the site would have to be a bunch of matching stuff.  That site already exists... it's called (you name it...insert any store name here).  LittleMissMatched is really for girls - duh.

Miss M came home from school telling me how much she loves her pajamas and that her friends do too.

And sure enough, when I finished laundry today, the first thing she asked was "Are those clean?"

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Growing up in the 70's and 80's, I can probably count on one hand how many times I was videotaped doing anything.  When we got our first video camera when I was in junior high or so, I remember avoiding it like the plague.  My parents lugged it along to videotape my brothers wrestling meets.  It was bulky and literally had a battery pack that was the size of a small suitcase.

But kids these days have grown up with digital cameras and video cameras - and now camera phones - in their faces.  From their families and their friends alike.  Being in front of the camera is second nature for so many teens now.

So why not have them put those talents to good use? Check out: I Don't Want To Miss  It's a contest where teens can enter to say why they don't want to miss school.  No, that's not a joke.  It centers around getting the flu vaccination and the disadvantages to missing school as a result. All they have to do is record a 45-60 second video - go here for contest details!

Act quickly though - the deadline to enter is March 11th!

Thanks to Mom Central for the opportunity to spread the word about this public service announcement!

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Way back in the early 1990s when DH and I first met, he was a Senior at a university in Illinois and I was attending a small university in Iowa. After he graduated, he passed up a few job opportunities elsewhere and moved to the same city that I was attending school. Like most college grads, there was a fine balance between spending habits and income.

As we strengthened our relationship and eventually got married, we focused on our finances. When one of my brothers told me that he used Quicken to keep track of all his money, including cash, I thought he was nuts. He said he set up a cash account in Quicken then routinely logged his spending. If he had $30 in cash in his pocket then spent $5.50 on lunch, he tallied $6 as "Fast Food". He said he rounded up to the dollar and threw change in a jar. His Quicken cash account then read $24 which would (well, should) match what he had in his pocket.

...continue reading "I spent HOW much on Fast Food?"

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As I mentioned in my post about High School Musical: The Ice Tour, we missed out on Disney on Ice coming through the Quad Cities. DH and I really thought the girls would enjoy it but it just didn't work out.  I truly believe that experiencing wonderful events and activities helps build and strengthen family bonds.  We'll keep our eyes open and get tickets when they return. 

Mom Central has secured a few promotion options for this discount code.  Here's the scoop!

If you know people who live near those areas, feel free to pass the "MOM" code along to them. (Psst - This code also works on select Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey shows.)  If you have a blog, you are also welcome to spread the word about this code!

Family entertainment is something that kids will remember for years... If Mickey Mouse skating around on ice isn't memorable then nothing will be!

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Congrats to Noreen.

She's the lucky winner of the box of personalized My Fruit Roll-ups from MyBlogSpark and SAHM Reviews!

I'll be starting another MyBlogSpark giveaway later this week for a Fiber One Spa Break Gift basket. Here's a sneak peek at the prize!

Thanks to everyone who entered and congrats to Noreen!

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