Category: Uncategorized

Those who are regular readers of my blog, will have by now figured out we love to snack in our home.  So we always enjoy it when we’re able to try new products to snack on.  Our latest find were Nature Valley Granola Thins, and oh they are tasty. 

A little like those graham grackers that are covered in chocolate, except these Crispy Squares are 100% natural toasted granola with a layer of either Dark Chocolate or Peanut Butter on one side.  These are individually wrapped, so good to pack for school lunches or to hide in your desk drawer, and they’re each only 80 calories for the Dark

Here is a snack that will have your kids asking to eat fruit.

The Freeze-Dried Funky Monkey Fruit Snacks taste so great.  I received all seven flavors that the company offers to taste test.  I love that each package has 3 servings of fruit in it. 

They are very easy to take along with you in your purse or bag.  So if you’re out all day and the kids (or you!) want to munch on something, you don’t have to stop and pick up junk

As I inch closer to 40, I notice that it isn’t as easy to shed the pounds I gain as it used to be.  Each time we vacation there are a few pounds that just don’t want to come off once we’re back home.  Even when I try really hard watching what I eat, and making sure that I exercise every day.  So I’m always up to try new fitness routines or meal plans that might help me to get those stubborn pounds off my frame.

Mitch Gaylor, Olympic Gymnast, has a DVD workout program called ‘Melt it Off with Mitch‘. 

The secret of Mitch’s exercise program is

I have thought a lot about freezer cooking in the last four years, but have never done it.  That would be because I don’t have a large deep freeze…but we purchased one last week and it’s being delivered this Thursday and I am so excited!  I have already tried and frozen a couple of weeks worth of recipes in 30 Meals In One Day, but am looking forward to a day blitz where I can get all my cooking for a whole month done in a single day!

There are so many delicious easy recipes in this book, you really have a lot of options in the meals you create for your family.  Did I mention that the majority of them are easy?!  Oh yeah I did!  I think a lot of people that don’t think they could do freezer cooking think that it’s because trying to make 30 different meals in one day for a whole month would be well…a trifle overwhelming.  But 30 Meals In One Day is laid out so well, and is so simple to use, that you’ll be cooking only one day a month.  

A friend of mine told me recently that eating gluten-free can be like a detox for your body.  She eats a gluten-free diet when she returns from vacation and has indulged a little much, in order to feel better.  I think this is something I might try and do the next time I eat a bit too much junk, and I know I won’t feel deprived eating Mary’s Gone Crackers gluten-free products during that time.

We recently had a chance to try Mary’s Gone Crackers Pretzel Snacks Sticks & Twigs.  What a fun name!

Local health workers are critical when it comes to newborn and child survival in the developing world. Thanks to the extension of basic health care by local health workers to children and mothers in developing countries, a child is being saved every 4 seconds.  “See Where the Good Goes” supports these local health workers.

Because I suffer from Raynaud’s Syndrome, which has similar symptoms to many autoimmune disorders, I tend to often have muscle aches & stiffness and swelling from injuries.  I also take a low dose aspirin daily to ensure my blood doesn’t clot after having a TIA stroke a number of years ago.  That means that I bruise easily, and they are usually unsightly too!

I never realized their was a natural remedy for those things in Arnica (actually I had never heard of Arnica before at all).   I was contacted by Boiron (see my review of their Cold Products for Children) to review Arnicare Gel and since I was impressed with the Boiron products I’ve tried I agreed.  

Collecting pens and pencils is a guilty little pleasure I have.  Everyone who knows me, can always count on me having at least two in my bag at any one time (often it’s more than that!).  I like to find the ones that stand out, showing off when I sign my name or write a note.  Having a writing instrument that’s fun to use can change your whole attitude of the task you’re using it for.  I mean really, how can you not make a statement when you’re writing with a bright pen?  I also think the that having a good writing instrument gives you a sense of purpose.

Zebra Pen knows all about the kinds of writing instruments you want for your Back to School Shopping needs for both mom and student alike.  They bring fun and versatility to the daily grind of note taking and calendar annotations.  Their pens and pencils come in many styles and colors making you wish you had all of them!  Here are some of the newest in their line up:

New Potato Flyers are tasty BAKED chips.

I was generously sent a number of samples from Pirate Brands in four great flavors.

These chips have ½ the fat as compared to the leading potato chip.  A single 1 oz. serving only has 120 calories and 5 grams of fat.  They are all natural, gluten free and trans fat free, coming in The Original, Sour Cream & Onion, Sea Salt & Vinegar and Homestyle Barbeque flavors.  I was sent all four flavors to try and I was quite eager to try them.  All of those flavors are favorites of mine!

‘The Glades‘ starring fantastic Matt Passmore (McLeod’s Daughters) is premiering July 11th on A&E (10 pm est), so make a date with your t.v. (or dvr) for this new show.

Matt Passmore plays Jim Longworth in this crime drama, an intelligent police detective who some how manages to rub his co-workers the wrong way at every step.  Not so different from how he got to the sleepy town of Palm Glade, formerly from Chicago and forced into exile, Longworth was shot by his captain when wrongfully accused