ShopperIncite Moms Life Moments Coupon Book Review and Offer

I am getting something in return complimentary for posting this information and received a free coupon booklet of my own to facilitate this review. All information was provided by ShopperIncite and PartnersHub. My thoughts are my own.

Having a child is such a very special "life moment". Moms spend a lot on their child's first years. A baby's needs can be very expensive. Coupons help keep more money in your pocket and let you stretch hard earned dollars to fit your budget.

But, who really has the time to find, collect, clip, and organize coupons, especially when you want to spend those precious moments with your newborn or baby? Coupons can be time consuming.

That's why the folks at ShopperIncite are giving away their Shopping Planner™ for New Moms – 100% free of charge – filled with great coupons moms love, all in one convenient place. And it's small enough to take with you anywhere! It fits into a purse or bag easily.

But it's really more than just a coupon book. At the end of the booklet it has a meal planner and shopping list. The pages are also filled with daily doses of tips, tricks and easy-to-make recipes. I love this part of the booklet too. It is so helpful. When you go grocery shopping it is great to have what you are going to make and a list of what you need right there at you fingertips.

You can "opt-in" to get a free coupon booklet of your very own. The more moms who sign up, the more brands with discounts ShopperIncite can offer later. After signing up you will get a new complementary coupon booklet every quarter filled with even more savings and offers.



DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I have received a free copy of the coupon book to help with my review and I will also receive a complimentary gift card valued anywhere between $10-$50 for posting. (Gift cards are randomly selected by Shopper Incite). Thanks to PartnersHub and ShopperIncite for providing me this promotion information and free product. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting this blog post.

Target Breakfast Twist #PlatefullCoOp #spon

The information and prize pack have been provided free by General Mills through Platefull Co-Op. to facilitate this post.

Breakfast is an important start to your family's day, but all too often, it's rushed, hectic, and…monotonous. Target has brought some family favorites together and made some interesting yummy combinations for quick and easy throw together breakfasts. These are simple twists on traditional breakfasts and there isn't anything complex about these recipes. These are great to help fuel your day.

Platefull Co-Op has sent me a selection of favorite items so that I could create my own unique spins on breakfast and share them with you:

• 1 pouch Nature Valley® Protein Granola (Crunchy Oats 'n Honey)
• 1 box Nature Valley® Granola Bars (Crunchy Oats 'n Honey)
• 1 box Honey Nut Cheerios® Medley Crunch™ cereal (Honey Nut Cheerios, crispy flakes, and clusters made with real almond slices)
• 1 box Trix® (Wildberry Red Swirls) cereal
• 1 package Quaker® Oats (old fashioned)
• 1 jar Jif® peanut butter (creamy)
• 1 package Nutella® (Hazelnut spread) mini cups
• 1 pouch Grandma Hoerner’s® Big Slice™ apples snack (kettle cooked apples: slices, chunks, and sauce)

I decided to only combine the ingredients in the kit together and see what I could come up with. In my first recipe I emptied the pouch of Grandma Hoerner’s® Big Slice™ apples snack in a small glass ramekin and sprinkled some Nature Valley® Protein Granola and some Quaker® Oats over the top. The second recipe I took one Nature Valley® Granola Bar out of the box and since it was already divided into two bars inside the packaging I spread Jif® peanut butter on one and one Nutella® mini cup on the other. The one with peanut butter I also sprinkled Honey Nut Cheerios® Medley Crunch™ cereal on top and the one with Nutella® I placed some Trix® cereal on top. The kids and I enjoyed our easy breakfast twists.

Big Slice Apples, Granola & Oats

I especially loved the Grandma Hoerner’s® Big Slice™ apples snack. This particular one that I received was Cherry Vanilla flavored and had luscious cherries, chunky apples, and real Madagascar vanilla. It was so delicious, especially with the little bit of crunch that the granola and oats gave!

Granola Bar Cereal Treats

These granola bar treats that I made were good, but too sweet for me. My kids loved them though. I love the Honey Nut Cheerios® Medley Crunch™ cereal by itself and with milk in a bowl just fine for breakfast. I am not too much of a peanut butter fan, but the Nutella® I love!

Target Breakfast Twist Event
You also find special savings on these products at Target – and even more inspiration by visiting Target.com/BreakfastTwist



DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: The information and prize pack have been provided free by General Mills through Platefull Co-Op. I received products and information for free to facilitate this post. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this post and promo.

Real Food Moms & Simple Food For Busy Families Review and Giveaway

Real Food Moms is a great website and blog that is all about nutrition and helping parents make easier, tastier and healthier meals for their families in less time. Parents have a lot on their plates these days, but usually those plates don't involve healthy food. People are spending less time in the kitchen and more eating out. Usually the fast food choices to meet our busy schedules aren't the healthiest in the world. Real Food Moms helps break the unhealthy food cycle and bring good food to your table.

I know I have very little time for meal planning, shopping, food preparation or worrying about what to feed my extremely busy family. I admit that I have a hard time with planning things ahead of time and time management. I am a major procrastinator and usually have a mountain of things to get done on my to do list. This is why I love this website! Most of the recipes that are on this website take less that 15 minutes of prep time. Real Food Moms also shares essential tools, reference charts, time-saving tips and cooking tricks you will need to make your life easier in the kitchen.

Join and Follow Them
They have an app you can download for your convenience on your iPhone. An internet radio show called Family Food Experts that airs every Wednesday at 6:00 PM (EST) on www.W4WN.com (replay on Tuesdays at 9am) The Realfoodmoms.com will co-host every 3rd Wednesday of the month. Each week they'll talk about Healthy Meal Ideas. Join their Twitter chat every Tuesday at 2pm EST #famfoodexperts There will be a weekly giveaway too! Enter on Facebook or Twitter through www.familyfoodexperts.com. Follow them on Pinterest. They also have a forum that you can join to get support and quick answers to your questions. You can also get the Summer Issue of their Cook Once Eat Twice Menu Planner for Free by subscribing!

I received a book written by the Real Food Mom Founders called Simple Food for Busy Families to also review for free. This book is packed with good information. I love how it is laid out. This is my new go to book for helping me put healthier meals together. While this book is not really a cookbook (there are recipes in this book, just not a lot of them), it is a quick reference guide to many things essential for putting meals together. It takes on a whole foods approach to nutrition and tells us how to stray away from the Standard American Diet (SAD). I loved the chapter Seasonality: Eating in Harmony with Nature and learning the benefits to doing so. I loved reading and learning about the different herbs and spices, vegetables, grains and beans, and how to mix and match everything for tasty healthful meals. I really need to execute and administer the daily routine suggestions that they have in this book. I already love to make crust-less quiche and couscous and have incorporated them into my diet. I think I after reading this book I am well on my way to making better choices to put on the table.

Buy It
You can purchase their Pantry Makeover Kit to help you organize and makeover your pantry for $14.95! You can also purchase Books by the Real Food Mom Founders; Great Expectations: Best Food for Your Baby and Toddler From First Foods to Meals Your Child Will Love for $9.36 and Simple Food for Busy Families, The Whole Life Nutrition Approach for $14.24.

WIN IT
Prize: Win the Simple Food for Busy Families Book

I am trying out Rafflecopter on my blog. Please click on this post link if you do not see the script for it below. Also, if there is anything that is wrong with it let me know by emailing me: finamoon AT gmail DOT com I will try my best at fixing it. Thanks for being awesome readers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Real Food Mom for sending me product for free to review and letting me giveaway one for free also. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Crust Review and Giveaway

With our recent acquisition of a property with 5 and a half acres, two houses, a large barn, a lean-to, and a shed we have been busy. Not only are we still homeschooling our children and doing all the parenting duties one has when becoming a parent, but we are also fixing up the new property and structures so we can move in. The structures on the gorgeous land were all built in the 1920's so they definitely need a lot of TLC. I will get into this more in the upcoming weeks with more posts and some pictures.

With our busy schedules we have had little time to do home cooked meals. Thankfully I received a kit from MyBlogSpark with a:

• VIP coupon for New Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Crust with Whole Grain
• $10 gift card (for your favorite ingredients)
• Baking sheet
• Oven mitt
• Pizza cutter

This kit was just the thing I needed to make a healthy home cooked meal for my family and still have time to get everything else done that I needed to do. The Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Crust is super convenient and takes only minutes to make. As an added bonus the Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Crust has 16 grams of whole grain per serving. It was the perfect way to be creative in the kitchen and create a culinary masterpiece on the canvas of dough. The pizza possibilities are fully customizable with endless choices of toppings.

We did tomato sauce and mozzarella topped with spinach, fresh basil leaves, green pepper, tomatoes, mushrooms, artichokes, olives, ground turkey and bacon. The crust turned out so delicious we ate it all up. I am definitely buying this again!

The canister is much like other Pillsbury dough products in how you just pop it open. The dough then unrolls easily onto a rectangular baking sheet. You can then flatten it out more to a thinner crust or leave it for a thicker crust. Follow the step by step instructions on the canister and voilà: fresh, hot and delicious pizza cooked at home in your own kitchen.

Connect with Pillsbury:

• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter

BUY IT
Download a printable coupon for $1.25 off one package of New Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Crust with Whole Grain: http://bit.ly/PCwWG today! Find it in your local grocery refrigerated section along with other Pillsbury dough products. I found it in my local Safeway store.

WIN IT
Prize: Win a Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Crust Kit

• VIP coupon for New Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Crust with Whole Grain
• $10 gift card (for your favorite ingredients)
• Baking sheet
• Oven mitt
• Pizza cutter

I am trying out Rafflecopter on my blog. Please click on this post link if you do not see the script for it below. Also, if there is anything that is wrong with it let me know by emailing me: finamoon AT gmail DOT com I will try my best at fixing it. Thanks for being awesome readers! 

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: The product, gift pack, information, and additional sample have been provided by Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

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Just Too Busy: Taking Your Family on a Radical Sabbatical by Joanne Kraft FWCT Book Review

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Joanne Kraft

and the book:

Just Too Busy: Taking your Family on a Radical Sabbatical

Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City (June 1, 2011)

***Special thanks to Susan Otis/Creative Resources for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Joanne Kraft is a sought-after speaker who loves to encourage women. She has been published in Today’s Christian Woman, In Touch, ParentLife, Kyria and P31 Woman magazine. A leader of Inspire Christian Writers, she serves as a marriage study group leader, and works as a 911 dispatcher in Sacramento County, California. Kraft is married and has four children.

Visit the author's website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Just Too Busy is one mother’s story of getting off the merry-go-round of her family’s over-commitment. When everything their life seemed like a marathon race, Joanne Kraft and her husband decided to take a “radical sabbatical”—a year-long absence from any of their four children’s organized after-school activities. Memories made, new traditions started, lessons learned, and how their family’s legacy was enriched are shared, spiced with a liberal helping of light-hearted humor.

Product Details:
List Price: $14.99
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City (June 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0834126095
ISBN-13: 978-0834126091

AND NOW...Click the LOOK INSIDE! Button to view the FIRST Chapter:

Dear MacGyver: Enclosed is a paper clip, a rubber band, and a drinking straw. Please save my sanity...

Sometimes I wish the extremely resourceful MacGyver could fix all my problems with everyday items that he has on hand. Quick fixes aren't always the best fixes though. With my busy, chaotic, hectic life it is a wonder that I make it through the day. We seem to lose ourselves in the shuffle we call everyday life. Sometimes we need to slow down and take time to enjoy the simple things.

I love to watch my daughter, Teela, explore the world. Everything fascinates her as she takes everything in. Little children are pure in heart and mind. Their innocence is so wonderful. They ask so many questions and absorb everything they learn like a sponge. We should all become as little children (Matthew 18:3)...humble, kind, gentle, honest, having faith and a thirst for knowledge, etc. Pray often.

It is hard to let go of stress. Do something that helps you relax such as: meditation, yoga, tai chi chuan, sipping tea, going to a favorite place (a spa, sauna, beach, quiet place, etc.); having a hot bubble bath, soothing jacuzzi, or massage; reading a good book, listening to nice music, watching a sunrise or sunset, taking a nap, laughing more, playing with your children, etc. Because it really is the simple things that make us enjoy life more.

I am not perfect by any means. My house is rarely spotless. I have laundry piled on my couch needing folded. I have dishes in my sink needing cleaned. I don't spend my time ironing clothes. I try my best to keep my kids faces and clothing clean but sometimes we go out into public and lo and behold they are messy. Those things can wait. They don't have to be done right away. My house doesn't need to be spotless all the time. My family deserves my time more and I deserve to spend my time with them instead of with a mop and bucket scrubbing floors.

I am glad to have a very supportive family and friends. God is also with me. They are, in my opinion, better than MacGyver. They have been with me through thick and thin and have helped me weather the many storms along the way. I thank them.

P.S. I had fun with the MacGyver photo above and placed my husband's face in it :) I hope ABC or Richard Dean Anderson isn't offended.

Busy, Busy, Busy

I have been busy with our new baby girl, Teela Katarina, that was born on April 15th, 2008; Tatiana's back and forth hospital stays and doctor visits; and homeschooling the boys. We are not stopping homeschool just because it is summer!! You can read what has been going on with Tatiana lately on her webpage...Tatiana's Profile

You might think I am crazy to still keep up with the homeschooling...well maybe you don't, but I do have a lot on my plate. Especially with Tatiana who has been in and out of the hospital more than any child should this year or any other year for that matter. Anyway, I am trying to keep sane and not stress to much.