Three Peas in a Pod

General Mills Cereal Treat Bars Giveaway

2011-10-04T10:35:00.001-04:00

My kids are Lucky Charms fans. They love to eat all the marshmallows and leave the rest for us to eat.

Gee thanks!

They also love to see what color there milk will turn if they leave them in the bowl for a bit. Soggy cereal is not my thing. But hey, they aren't fighting and they are eating breakfast.

I'm happy.

The new Lucky Charms cereal bars are right up there ally! They have just plenty of marshmallows to make them happy and they get to open it themselves! At just 100 calories per serving, they are nice little snack or treat to add to their lunches.

And to mine.

Besides Lucky Charms, another popular breakfast cereal has been made into a cereal bar…Golden Grahams! I love Golden Grahams. Golden Grahams was the closest thing to a sugar cereal I was allowed when I was a kid. Now, as a cereal bar, it’s like eating a yummy s’more but without all the mess! The Golden Graham cereal bars are only 130 calories! Another yummy snack that won’t break the calorie bank!

Another great thing about the cereal bars is the fact that there are TWO Box Tops for Education on EACH box! And we collect those all the time.

Now, thanks to General Mills and My Blog Spark, one lucky reader can enjoy EACH of the cereal bars mentioned above and everything in the picture below!

GIVEAWAY!!

You must complete the mandatory entry FIRST before any additional entry will be counted. Please leave EACH entry in a new comment. Good luck!

Mandatory Entry: Tell me what your favorite cereal is.

Additional Entries:

Follow Three Peas in a Pod on Facebook
Put this contest as your status on Facebook (one entry per day)
Enjoy a bowl of your favorite cereal
Tweet this giveaway (one tweet per day)
Blog this giveaway linking back to Three Peas in a Pod (5 additional entries)
Sing I'm a little Teapot to whatever or who ever will listen (one entry per comment)

This giveaway will run from October 4 until October 11 at midnight. One winner will be chosen using Random.org .

Note: Cereal Treats Bars, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Endorse

2011-09-22T15:05:00.000-04:00

Have you heard of it yet? It's a new app on Facebook that rewards you for buying the products you love. By using Endorse you can "endorse" your favorite products and get paid back for buying those products with your followers whenever and wherever you already shop- online and offline. The more followers you have and the more loyal you all are to those products, the more everyone earns back. You could earn hundreds of dollars a month by staying loyal to your favorite brands, products, and retailers!

How does it work? Sign up, endorse your favorite products, and start following your friends. Endorse will send you envelopes in the mail for you to put your receipts in and mail back at the end of the week. It's that easy!

Some of the products that are listed are, Cottonelle, Izze, Method, Extra Gum, Ford F-150, Ruby Tuesday, Hot Topic, and many more.

I'm all for getting cash back for products I already buy. Sign up today and follow me on Endorse!

Random Pictures

2011-09-12T13:10:00.000-04:00

These are random photos that Tiger took with my iPhone this weekend.

Enjoy!

Maybe he was hungry???

His favorite Item - Roomba

View from our Front Porch

Caught doing a writing assignment during classtime

Nice one!

Back to School Sweepstakes from Masterlock

2011-09-11T19:10:00.000-04:00

For the most part, School has started. Which means lots of school supplies, new clothes and lockers to decorate! For some, they are venturing to a new uncharted territory now with lockers to contend with, bigger schools, and a lot more students. How does a student deal with being a middle or high schooler?

Master Lock® has hired a new specialist to help kids with all those school questions.

They even have an online video series on Facebook where The Master Mind, and his clever Little Sister answers students questions related to school life.

You can submit your questions on the facebook page for a chance to win the daily prize pack including A Master Lock 1500id Speed Dial tm Set-your own Combination Lock!

Find more information this new series and sweepstakes information HERE.

There is still time to ask Mastermind your questions! Sweepstakes end on September 19th!

Organized Chaos

2011-09-02T10:14:00.002-04:00

I always thought that homeschool moms had it together. They were this rare group of moms that could clean house have genius kids that are well behaved, put on fabulous parties, and still look like they walked out of a magazine. Their days were calm but fun.

What reality am I living in?

Seriously?!?

This year I am one of those home-school moms, but I am so far from being together. It’s sad really. I have one child that is home schooled, one in public school and one in pre-school.

The house is a disaster; the laundry is piled so high you need an oxygen mask to get to the top; dinner is almost never figured out till the last minute and usually consists of frozen meals. I look like I did as a first time mom with no make up, clothes that are rumpled with hair that may or may not be clean.

I have one child wanted me to help her every five minutes with school, one that wants me to play Legos, and a list of to do’s a mile long, the dog that has to pee, invoices to write, clients to email, phone calls to do, appointments to reschedule. Oh, and let’s not forget Youth Group, 4-H, and soon to be Cub Scouts.

Wednesday, I was feeling just a tad overwhelmed. In fact, I had to have my lock my self in the bathroom and cry session. I was being pulled in every direction and I didn’t know how to fix it.

It’s amazing how God knows exactly how I’m feeling. A few minutes after my mini meltdown, I came across a link to an article that my friend, Cindy Dyer wrote called “Scheduling, or the Lack Thereof”. Like Cindy, I forgot how calm and together I felt when I had a schedule.

Last year I had one just for cleaning the house because at the time that’s where I felt like chaos. But once I started with my schedule, I was calmer the night before company came, I could actually invite people in when they stopped by unannounced and not wonder what they think of me because my house is like a disaster zone.

As soon as I read Cindy’s post, I pulled up Word, and promptly made my schedule. Yesterday was a better day. The house was as clean as it was going to get with three kids, bills were paid, I had make up on, and I even showered!

My advice to you is don’t make it a contest to see if you do everything on your schedule. That will only make you feel worse. It’s ok that you didn’t get the floor mopped that day but pat yourself on the back for the things you did accomplish.

Your house, your kids, your life doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s never going to happen. Just go with the flow with a little help from a schedule.

Keep your Family Connected with Moby

2011-07-31T10:17:00.002-04:00

Last week we spent 10 days away. We need to get away from the house and just do something fun. So we took the kids to Disney World. Before we left we made sure that we downloaded all the apps we needed for the trip. One of my personal favorites turned out to be the Moby by Contigo App. This app helps keep families connected for free.

Available for the iPhone, iPad and Blackberry, Moby is a location sharing service that is private. Rather than having my entire network of friends in social media know where my children are. There are times I don’t want to broadcast their whereabouts over the internet.

Find out where the hubs is before you ask him to pick up that one thing you forgot to get from the store that is for dinner. Saves him having to back track.

Ask a friend privately to pick up your child from school without the whole world knowing.

Track down your teen at the mall.

Moby is completely private and only you can enable who is aware of your profile and your location and for how long. If a friend or family member doesn’t have the Moby app just yet, you can send them an email or text with your location. Fully customizable, the Moby App keeps you connected with who you want and how you want.

Here’s some ways Mr. Right and I used the Moby App on our iPhones:

We kept in touch at Disney World. Instead of making a phone call and interrupting an attraction, we checked in and left a message. It worked perfectly. I could pinpoint on the map exactly where he was so my daughter and son and I could find him when we separated to ride different rides.

With my daughter being gone a lot this summer we have been able to keep in touch and know where she is (provided her phone is charged).

There are days that I run errands all day long. My husband can see where I am and If I’m near a store or the post office so I can pick up something for work or check the mail. Saves us time and gas.

This video shows you how to use the Moby App:

I know that I’ll use this app when I attend Regionals so that I can find my friends while we are there with thousands of other attendees. I have a niece that has medical issues this app would be perfect for my brother and his wife to keep us up to date when they need help or to keep in constant contact with each other about their daughters condition.

Learn more about the Moby App and pre-register for the Android version coming out soon.

”I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Moby and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate."

Toadstooled!!!

2011-07-12T15:28:00.001-04:00

Today is such a nasty hot day that staying indoors seemed like an awesome idea. But one must venture outside to get the mail. . .

And so I did.

I'm not very observant when it's hot and sticky. It seems that is all one can think about when they are blasted with a sauna while walking outside.

As I approached the house hoping to escape the heat I noticed some yellow and blue colors in my flower bed that weren't there yesterday. I know I didn't put them there.

This is what I found.

Just sitting there as pretty as you please in this awful heat. Attached to these delightful shrooms was a note that read . . .

We've been toadstooled!!!

It certainly made my day!

Kid Wash!!

2011-07-05T15:12:00.000-04:00

My boys are obsessed with car washes. So much so that LM wants to own a chain of them when he grows up. That's my boy! We have made car washes from the cricut out of card stock, small cardboard felt and toilet paper tubes, Big packing boxes, drainage tubes and craft paper and even cake.

I have lots of pictures of the others but for the life of me, I can't find them. But with summer here we needed to find a way to keep them cool but would also appeal to their obsession.

So we did the only thing we could do . . .

Build a Kid Wash!!

We found the directions here very easy to follow. The only thing is that it is a tad unstable and costs more depending on where you live. Ours ran about $50.00. I believe we will be adding more bracing to the structure. We used plumbers glue to attach the PVC pipe to the hose adapter so there were no leaks. and instead of using nylon lawn chair strips we used a clear shower curtain and cut it into strips and used the shower rings to hold them up.

The boys have been happy as clams ever since.

It was worth it just to hear their squeals of delight for hours. Let me know if you build one for your kids. I'd love to see how it turned out!

My Mouth is Happy!

2011-04-24T13:54:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about trying out the new Crest Pro-Health Complete Rinse. It has been a while since I've been using this new mouth rinse at least twice a day after brushing my teeth and I can say, I really can feel a difference throughout the day!

I know that brushing alone is not enough to make my teeth cleaner and my breath fresher. The new Crest Pro-Health Complete Rinse not only cleans my teeth and freshens my breath, it also helps prevent cavities. I love that clean feeling lasts longer than most rinses. I love the taste of mint in my daily toothpaste and the new Crest Pro-Health Complete Rinse in Clean Mint makes my morning and evening routine complete!

“I wrote this review while participating in a test drive campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Crest and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Sam is a Pedigree Ambassador!!!

2011-04-19T10:33:00.001-04:00

Our dog, Sam, is now doing product reviews! He's a 210 lb. English Mastiff that is the sweetest dog and so good with our kids. He's one picky eater. He will not eat Food Lion dog food.

Apparently, it's super nasty. Sam normally eats Old Roy dog food from Walmart but one time we were in a pinch and hubby brought home Smart Option from Food Lion. He snubbed his nose at it.

We’ve been happy with Ol' Roy, but got this opportunity to try out Pedigree and Sam isn't complaining!

We slowly transitioned Sam to the new dog food. Apparently he thinks this stuff is the best think since sliced bread. He gets super excited to eat and can't wait till we have filled the bowl to start eating.

At the start of the program I was asked to assess my dog on 4 universal needs.

skin and coat – I would say both are average.
oral care – Sam has average teeth. I don’t see any problems, but they are also not pearly white either. I probably should brush his teeth like the vet recommended.
digestion – Sam has no problems in that area.
immunity – I'd say he's pretty healthy. We haven't had any issues health wise

Some how my daughter and husband ended up taking a bath too!

Because Sam is so large he is prone to hip displasia and joint problems as he gets older. The pedigree dogfood he is trying out has glucosimine in it. I have noticed that Sam does a lot of grunting while he's trying to heft all 210 lbs up off the floor. I hope the glucosimine helps his joints.

I will keep you updated on the progress. For more information, check out Pedigree.com,
, @PedigreeUS on Twitter , and Pedigree Adoption Drive Facebook page.

"I wrote this review while participating in an Ambassador campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Pedigree and received dog food to facilitate my reviews and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate."

Family Picture Time

2011-04-13T09:34:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago we were asked to send a picture of our family to my Grandmother who has never met two of our kids . This was for her 93 birthday. Happy Birthday Grandma!! The deadline was NOW and so we had no time to prepare.

This is what I had to work with.

Silly Boys who couldn't seem to sit still long enough with their shirts down and tongues in their mouths. *sigh*. Little Monkey (on the right) absolutely hates having his picture taken so to him this was torture followed by some screaming and yelling on his part. Oh the life of having a child with Autism.

Once they realized this was happening whether they wanted it to or not (we bribed them with popcorn after dinner), they both let out a huge sigh and cooperated (for two seconds).

LM's pants were filthy from rolling down the hill on his knees and Tiger's clothes don't match but that's normal around here.

Crest Pro Health

2011-03-29T07:35:00.037-04:00

I was recently selected to participate in a one month test drive of the Crest Pro-Health Invigorating Clean Multi-Protection Rinse in Invigorating Mint and so far I'm liking it! I tend to forget about the mouthwash regimine all together. I get into the habit and then out of it. Usually it's because I have forgotten where I put it (don't ask).

This mouthwash burns a bit, but not as much as Listerine and the burning sensation doesn't last very long. I don't mind the burning like my daughter so I have claimed this mouthwash for my own. I use this mouthwash morning and night, and I love the fresh and clean feeling that I have. Other mouthwashes have used only have that "fresh, clean" feeling for just about 15-30 minutes. But with this mouthwash it lasts for hours, which makes it well worth the price!

The Crest Pro-Health Invigorating Clean Multi-Protection Rinse offers 24 hour protection. It kills millions of germs to battle against bad breath, plaque, and gingivitis while leaving your mouth feeling clean, invigorated, and minty fresh. They highly recommend using Crest Pro-Health toothpaste for even better results.

I have to say that this stuff has gotten me into the habit of flossing daily too! My mouth feels much cleaner and healthier. I'll keep you updated with another post later on next month regarding the Crest Pro-Health Invigorating Clean Multi-Protection Rinse.

“I wrote this review while participating in a test drive campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Crest and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central Consulting sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

3M Natural Screen Protectors

2011-03-28T20:05:00.000-04:00

My husband and I both have iPhones. When we have them they are awesome. Our boys hog them for the most part. They love to watch movies, play games, take pictures, and record themselves saying crazy stuff (one day I'll put some of those recordings on there. They are truly funny).

While we are ever so impressed that our six and four year old can maneuver the iPhone just as well as an adult, we are not excited to get them back with peanut butter (or who knows what) on the screen. We do our best to keep them clean but never put any kind of protector on them. That's why I jumped at the chance to try 3M's Natural Screen Protectors.

I made the mistake of not reading the directions first. So the protector went on with air bubbles. The trick is to thoroughly clean your screen first. And I mean thoroughly. I used our cloths we got from apple for the Mac Book and iPad and made sure it was free of dust, slobber, and fingerprints. Putting on the cover was a tad tight but that helped the bottom of my cover from sliding off when I pull it out of my pocket.

Over all, I like the product and I have been recommending it everyone I know!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of 3M and received a Natural View Screen Protector to facilitate my review and a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

It's Grill'n Season!

2011-03-23T06:34:00.033-04:00

Mrs. Dash is available in 13 different types including:

Original Blend, Garlic & Herb, Table Blend, Extra Spicy, Onion & Herb, Lemon Pepper, Italian Medley, Tomato Basil Garlic, Southwest Chipotle, Fiesta Lime, Caribbean Citrus, Steak Grilling Blend, and Chicken Grilling Blend.

Now that it's warmer here in NC, we can now start Grill'n and that's just what we have been doing about 3 times a week. I'm loving the hamburger seasoning right now. The flavor is just plain YUMMM! And adding the lemon pepper seasoning to chicken is so good that my kids actually will eat it. And that's something they will not eat (I have weird kids).Add a little bit of Italian blend to your veggies while you grill them adds some pizazz!

There are so many dishes to use these blends it would take forever to share them all with you! Visit Mrs. Dash to get great recipes and nutritional facts on each blend.

"I wrote this review while participating in an Ambassador campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Mrs. Dash and received 13 blends to facilitate my reviews and a gift code to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Mr. Right's Creativity

2011-02-25T06:54:00.000-05:00

Check out my husband's creativity.

He did this all by himself! You can read more about it at my other blog, Make Life Creative!

The Me Project and Starbucks Giveaway

2011-02-21T17:09:00.004-05:00

Do you ever feel like you just don’t have time to pursue your dreams? Do you feel guilty for taking time to do something just for you? Do you constantly put off your dreams until “later”

I have a list of things I want to accomplish but many times through out my life I have gotten overwhelmed and don't know where to start. With three kids I often feel like pursuing my dreams is often selfish or even impossible.

As women, we forget the goals and dreams of our younger years. The busyness of everyday life gets in the way. To-do lists replace goals. The Me Project provides women with fun and creative ways to bring back the sense of purpose and vitality that comes with living out the plans and dreams God has planted in our hearts. Author Kathi Lipp’s warm tone and laugh-out-loud humor motivates women to take daily steps toward intentional goals. The end result? We get back our lives and enjoy living in the confidence of a purposeful life in spite of our chaotic schedules.

This handy guide coaches women to do one simple thing toward achieving our goals each day for three weeks. A woman experiencing the exhilaration of a rediscovered life offers more as a wife, mother, friend, volunteer, career woman.

This book was so fun to read. Kathi was straight to the point, funny, and so easy to relate too. In fact when I read she puts things on her list she has already accomplished just so she can check them off, I laughed. That is so me!

About Kathi Lipp
Kathi is a busy conference and retreat speaker, currently speaking each year to thousands of women throughout the United States. She is the author of The Husband Project and The Marriage Project, serves as food writer for Nickelodeon, and has had articles published in several magazines, including Today’s Christian Woman and Discipleship Journal. Kathi and her husband, Roger, live in California and are the parents of four teenagers and young adults. For more information visit her website: http://www.kathilipp.com/.

Here is a small guide to kick start Living Your Dreams. If you want to know more you need to get the book!

Three Super-Simple Kick Start Living Your Dreams
– in the next 15 minutes

by Kathi Lipp

Is there a dream that God has given you, but you are waiting until the kids are grown and you have money in the bank before you get started?

You may not be able to enroll in a month long pastry making class or take a week off of work to get started on your novel, but today you can take three little baby steps to making your dream a day-to-day reality.

1. Go Public with It

It’s a little scary to tell the world what you want to do when you grow up—but this is one little step could get you closer to living your dream than almost any other. Plus—it takes very little time and you don’t have to raid your kid’s college fund to make it happen.

When you gather up all your courage and tell your best friend, “I want to learn how to paint,” suddenly she remembers an old art book she has laying around she would love to give you, or her friend from church who teaches art classes. The people you know and love want to be a resource. Give them the privilege of being a part of making your dream happen.

2. Join an Online Group

This is one of the simplest—and cheapest—ways to start exploring your passion. Find out who else is talking about restoring antiques and listen to their conversation. Start by Googling your interest along with the term “online groups.” You will be amazed with the number of people who want to talk about the proper way to care for 1950’s lunchboxes as much as you do.

3. Don’t be Afraid to Pray

I remember the first time I put an offer in on a house—I wanted it more than I had wanted almost anything else in my life. While I knew that I had dozens of other people praying on my behalf, I was too scared to pray.

I didn’t want God to tell me no. I was afraid to pray until my co-worker Kim asked me (in a loving, kind way), why I didn’t believe that God wanted His best for me. Don’t be afraid to pray—as with anything amazing in my life, the path is never what I expected, but it has always been obvious that God’s hand has been on it the whole way.

One Three Peas reader will have a chance to walk away with this great prize pack! The Gift Basket includes:

Three 2.5-oz. bags of Starbucks coffee
(Sumatra, House Blend, and French Roast)
Tazo black tea
Starbucks marshmallow cocoa
Almond roca
Almond roca buttercrunch toffee cookies
White chocolate and raspberry cookies
2 Starbucks mugs
Keepsake black bamboo basket

$62 value

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling me what you want to do when you "grow up". I will pick the Grand Prize entry on March 1st!

I will randomly select a name and send it in to the Blog Tour company to be entered into their grand prize drawing! (KCWC will announce the winner of the grand prize on 3/7/11). Yay!!!

Spice up your Dinner with Old El Paso

2011-01-05T11:29:00.002-05:00

My absolute favorite type of food is Mexican. I will eat chips and salsa every day if it would do my body good. When I was younger, I'd ask my mom to make tacos for my birthday dinner. Do you like Tacos as much as I do? Well, if you don't, then you don't know what your missing. Old El Paso has been around for years, and has provided millions of families with a great tasting meal, and an affordable one too. Old El Paso offers you everything you need for "Family Taco Night", including taco kits, seasonings, sauces, salsa and beans and a variety of taco shells.

My husband makes a mean chicken enchilada and uses the Old El Paso Taco Seasoning in the sauce. It's gobbled up in seconds. Oh And putting a bit of the seasoning in some sour cream makes for a great dip!

I'm just say'n.

Check out Old El Paso news, great tips, and some fabulous recipes on their site. I already have some of those recipes on my menu for this month. YUMMY! You can even print a coupon to save $.60 off two Old El Paso Products.

Courtesy of My Blog Spark , I received this "Family Taco Night"prize pack, which included a packet of Old El Paso Taco Seasoning, a Cactus Chip and Dip Serving Dish, and three Fiesta Chili Pepper serving dishes, and a $10 gift card to purchase the fixings I need to make my tacos.

You can win a prize pack for your very own! To enter tell me what your favorite Mexican dish is.

For extra entries:

Let someone else fold the laundry today
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me via Google Friend Connect
Have some hot chocolate, sit down and do nothing for 15 minutes. YOU DESERVE IT!
Blog about this giveaway
Like Three Peas on Facebook
Tweet about this giveaway and include me (@3pspod) in your tweet

The giveaway will end on January 12 and is open to US and Canadian residents only.

Happy New Year!!!

Disclosure: The product, prize pack, information, and giveaway have all been provided by Old El Paso through MyBlogSpark

Mrs. Dash is Spicing up my Kitchen

2010-12-17T20:16:00.040-05:00

Born with a hole in my heart and atrial fib I was on a no salt diet until I turned 18. Of course after 18 years of no salt, this teen went crazy with it. I salted everything that I thought needed it. Now after three pregnancies (the last nearly killed me) my heart issues have resurfaced. Forcing me yet again to drastically reduce my salt intake.

Mr. Right has a family history of high cholesterol , blood pressure, and congestive heart failure. And since I love that man to pieces, I want to make sure he eats healthy and reduces his chances of having issues later in life.

The best way to make your food flavorful without using salt is through lots of spices. You could make your own but as a mom I don't have time to figure out what spice goes well with which dish and frankly not enough room in my spice cabinet either. Enter Mrs. Dash.

Mrs. Dash has fourteen flavorful seasonings to go with just about any dish. I think at the moment I have been using the Italian the most but the other day I did happen to use the Fiesta Lime with some chicken burritos that was awesome too! Each blend is packed full of flavor. I never thought that giving up salt would be so easy!

After 2 1/2 weeks of no salt I feel better. The heart racing and palpation's have lessened, and the swelling in my feet have disappeared. My meals are still delicious if not more so. Throughout the next year I will be trying out all the flavors. I'll let ya know how it goes!

Disclaimer: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Mrs. Dash and received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Gift Idea: Literati Reader

2010-12-16T13:33:00.000-05:00

I have always been an avid reader since I was a young girl. I would take a bag full of books with us on trips, I would read at the Dr.'s office, read while waiting on mom in the car, on the way to church, etc. I read constantly. Soaking up new information and being transported to new worlds, history, and expanded my imagination .

Unfortunately , the books take up a lot of room, and can get heavy. When eReaders came out I was a little apprehensive about having one device that held all my books. Nothing compares to holding pages in your hand and spending quiet evenings under a blanket reading. I love the sound of pages turning.

But I got the chance to try one and it's the best thing. I love it. The Literati Reader comes in black and white. I have the black one. I was worried about it feeling bulky but really it's not that thick. Probably about as thick a thick magazine. It has a large color screen and you can set the font to be as large or small as you need it to be. Same with the brightness. It can be adjusted to your liking or if you are reading in bed you can adjust to where it won't bother your other half.

The Literati Reader also comes with a nice protective cover to prevent scratches on the screen when it's in your bag or keeping spills from gooping up the screen. Best of all it's wifi enabled. So you can download books super quick and be ready to read your favorite magazine or book in a flash.

I took it on our trip to Mr. Right's parents house and it took up so little room in my purse. It was bright enough that I could read in the dark without straining my eyes. I used the flap on the cover to shield my hubby's eyes from the light while he was driving. And downloading a book was so easy using Kobo.

I haven't tried this but you can use a SD card of up to 8GB with books stored on it as well. And it can read PDF files! Very handy when your traveling and wanting to share tutorials. The only thing that I didn't like is it's not completely touch screen. There are arrows on the sides of the screen you touch to turn pages. but searching and maneuvering around the system is old school. Takes some getting used to after using my phone and Mr. Right's iPad. But it's not a huge issue. Just takes some getting used to.

Best of all my books are no longer taking up space on my nightstand, shelves, and desk and there's more room in my purse. We all love more room in purses don't we ladies?

Literati eReader will make a perfect gift this Christmas for the avid reader in your life.

I'm just say'n

"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Sharper Image and received a Literati eReader in order to facilitate my review. .”

Merry Christmas,

Celebrate the Holidays with Hickory Farms

2010-12-14T13:04:00.001-05:00

I have been talking a lot about Hickory Farms but the food is so good. How can you not talk about them this time of year? I love going to my mom's annual Christmas party and chowing down on sausage, crackers and their amazing mustards.

Seriously . . .

Can you eat only one piece?

If you can, I don't want to hear about it.

This is the one of those times I get to indulge in my favorite snack.

It's so good even my kids gobble it up!

Check out this Picnic Basket from Hickory Farms

Summer Sausage, creamy cheeses, crackers and mustards. Their Melt Away Mints and Famously Thin Peanut Brittle promise a sweet ending!

Does that not look good?

Having self control is hard. This basket is traveling with us to Grace Farms for the annual Christmas Party. What ever is left is our snack for when we are pulling a late night with wrapping presents and watching movies. We like to wait to the last minute to wrap. We have sneaky kids.

I'm just say'n.

Whether your a late night last minute wrapper, a party goer, party giver, send gifts to far away family Hickory Farms is a Holiday favorite.

To order yours today visit Hickory Farms but hurry so you can make sure it arrives on time.

"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Hickory Farms and received a two signature gift boxes from Hickory Farms to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Merry Christmas and Happy Snacking,

Stocking Stuffer Giveaway #4

2010-12-09T06:00:00.050-05:00

Monkey Butt is the slang term for the soreness, itching ad redness that affects one's backside as the result of friction and sweat. Activities from cycling, exercise, motorcycling, horseback riding, even truck driving can cause chafing that's not the most comfortable thing to deal with.

While Anti Monkey Butt Powder is ideal for motorcyclists, races, and athletes, its soothing treatment can help anyone one who has experienced the discomfort and irritation associated with the friction of clothing on skin. You can even use it with your footwear, and any other areas prone to chafing.

Unlike other powders, Anti Monkey Butt Powder contains calamine and talc which gives it a cooling sensation instead of the burning that you might get from other products. Anti Monkey Butt also has a specially formulated type for women. Not only do they have products for any active person. But they also have products for Baby as well. Check out their website to see all the products available.

To win this set of Anti Monkey Butt Products just tell me your favorite Christmas Carol.

For extra entries:

Hug your kids tonight
Like Three Peas on Facebook
Follow me on twitter
Tweet about the giveaway and include me in the tweet (@3pspod)
Grab my button (Look in the "Link to Me" tab under the header) and place it on your blog.

I will pick the winner via Random.org on December 16th. This giveaway is open to US residents only.

Merry Christmas,

Stocking Stuffer Giveaway #3

2010-12-08T06:00:00.039-05:00

Good things come in small packages especially with scunci hair accessories, which can take your hair from drab to fab in seconds.

If you've tired every hair tie, hair band, and clip imaginable and still nothing seems to stay put in your hair, here's the solution! New Evolution hair ties, hair bands and clips, are the latest expansion of the scunci No Slip Grip line. This great collection utilizes new technology to create hair accessories that won't come out until you take them out. The hair bands and hand ties now have a new "jelly" look and feel to them that is perfect to hold your hair comfortably all day, and the traditional claw clips now have inner teeth to create a tighter, stay-put grip.

Want to try something fun and festive for the holiday party, but are worried you might lack the styling skill? Try the scunci Upzing double combs! Easy to use, comfortable enough for everyday, and sophisticated enough for special occasions, the Upzing accessory is perfect for all hair types. It has a lasting hold and can be used to create dozens of styles, ranging from polished ponies to glamorous up-dos. It is composed of two hair combs attached to a fabric or beaded elastic for the stunning look. Slide, stretch and "zing" : three easy steps to a stunning new style.

To win a package of Scunci New Evolution Hair Bands and the Upzing just tell me what your favorite Christmas Memories is.

For Extra Entries:

Like Scunci on Facebook
Like Three Peas on Facebook
Follow me on twitter
Tweet about the giveaway and include me in the tweet (@3pspod)
Grab my button (Look in the "Link to Me" tab under the header) and place it on your blog.

I will choose a winner on December 16 via Random .org. This giveaway is open to US residents only!

Merry Christmas,

Stocking Stuffer Giveaway #2

2010-12-07T11:29:00.000-05:00

Today giveaway is brought to you by Conair.

Great hairstyles start with a great brush! It's a gift that will always be used. Detangle wet and dry hair of all lengths with the Conair Tourmaline Ceramic Small Round Brush or Conair Gel Grips Cushion Brush. Each helps smooth, style and straighten hair. The Conair Gel Grips Cushion Brush conforms to the shape of your hand for easy styling, and the flexible cushion base prevents hair breakage.

The Conair Tourmaline Ceramic Brush utilizes finely crushed tourmaline, a gemstone that naturally releases negative ions, infused into the nylon bristles and ceramic barrel of the brush. The ions tighten the cuticle layer and seal in natural oils, reducing static electricity, leaving hair shiny and silky.

The winter season seems to bring on more static in my hair so the tourmaline round brush is perfect for preventing those pesky fly a ways or as my daughter calls it "Albert Einstein Hair" . I love the Gel Grips Brush. It's gel handle feels comfortable in my hands and the cushion brush makes for getting my kids hair brushed without the "OW , that hurts and your pulling my hair mom!" that I get most mornings.

TO enter to win a set of these brushes to put in a special someone's stocking or just for you tell me what was the worst gift you received in Christmas' Past?

For Extra Entries :

Like Conair on Facebook
Like Three Peas on Facebook
Make something for the Christmas Season with your kids today. It could be anything from crafts to food.
Follow me on twitter
Tweet about the giveaway and include me in the tweet (@3pspod)
Sing "Away in a Manger" to anyone with fur or without that will listen
Grab my button (Look in the "Link to Me" tab under the header) and place it on your blog.

I will choose a winner on Wednesday December 15 via Random.org. This giveaway is for US residents only!

Merry Christmas,

Stocking Stuffer Giveaway #1

2010-12-06T16:45:00.002-05:00

Today is the beginning of Stocking Stuffer Giveaway week. It's kind of straightforward really. All prizes are items that can be put in a Stocking. Vendors feel free to email me if you would like for me to host a giveaway for you!

On to the giveaway!!

To celebrate the winter season and help bring the holiday spirit to you, Softlips is offering their limited edition Holidays 5-pack of lip conditioners - Sugar & Spice, Winter Mint, Sugar Cookie, Sugar Plum Berry, and Mint with a hint of Vanilla.

Packaged in a festive , blue sachet, the new Softlips limited edition gift pack is affordable, makes for the perfect stocking stuffer, a final touch on a gift attached to a ribbon or even a gift for yourself! Each irresistibly, delicious flavor is reminiscent of the holidays, helping to protect lips with SPF 20 and great moisturizing properties.

They have been a lifesaver the last few days with the biting wind and below freezing temperatures. Gone are chapped lips that my kids lick incessantly only to create a kool-aid mustache that's painful. They don't leave the house without Softlips in their pockets.

My absolute favorite is Winter Mint and my boys love the Sugar Cookie flavor. Baby girl loves them all!! And Mr. Right wouldn't be caught dead with something with the name Soft Lips in his pocket. But we'll work on that!

To enter to win a Gift Pack of Softlips limited edition Winter flavors tell me what your favorite cookies are during the Holiday Season.

For Extra Entries:

Like Softlips on Facebook
Like Three Peas on Facebook
Read a Christmas Story to your Kids (fur or human)
Follow me on twitter
Tweet about the giveaway and include me in the tweet (@3pspod)
Dance with your other half to Christmas Music
Grab my button (Look in the "Link to Me" tab under the header) and place it on your blog.

I will pick the winner on Tuesday December 14th via Random.org. This giveaway is open to US residents only. Come visit again throughout the week and check out the other giveaways .

Merry Christmas,

Hickory Farms Giveaway!!

2010-12-06T16:38:00.000-05:00

I'm so brain dead. I did a post on Hickory Farms a while ago but never added the fact that I was going to give one away!

How lame am I?

Don't answer that.

Would you like a Home for the Holidays Gift Box sent right to your door?

This box includes Hickory Farms Signature Beef as well as Italian Recipe Summer Sausage, an array of 4 cheeses , Sweet Hot, Honey Pineapple Mustards and savory crackers.

To enter, tell me about your holiday traditions.

For extra entries:
Sing Jingle Bell Rock with or to your kids
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me via GFC
Have some hot chocolate, sit down and do nothing for 15 minutes. YOU DESERVE IT!
Blog about this giveaway
Like Three Peas on Facebook
Tweet about this giveaway and include me (@3pspod) in your tweet

This giveaway is open to US residents only. I will choose the winner via Random.org on Sunday December 12th at 5pm.

It's Snowing!!!

2010-12-05T10:51:00.003-05:00

It never snows this early in NC. Not only did it snow in December but no one was expecting it. So as soon as the white stuff covered the ground my boys went outside to play. Tiger loved the Snow but Little Monkey was hesitant. I was able to take lots of pictures of Tiger but LM wouldn't have anything to do with the camera.

This was created with My Digital Studio from Stampin' Up!

My Digital Studio is a powerful, easy-to-use, digital crafting software that helps you create beautiful pages, cards, and albums.

This is my first page I created with the software. I can honestly say it was super easy to use. I love the tips and suggestions that the software gives you at first. The best part is that it comes with preloaded embellishments to get you started. I plan on adding more soon now that I have seen the new stamps that are available!

Visit Stampin' Up for more info on My Digital Studio as well as sales, project ideas, and events.

Join me For a Fun Week of Giveaways!!

2010-12-04T16:37:00.001-05:00

Join me for a week of Stocking Stuffer Giveaways! If you are a vendor and would like me to host a giveaway and feature your items email me at Threepinapod@gmail.com Must be family friendly and stocking stuffer sized.

It's Raining Chocolate!!!

2010-12-02T13:44:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all who entered in my Hershey's Drops giveaway. It's time to announce the winner.

Just imagine yourself watching Christmas Movies, wrapping presents, and munching on Hershey's Drops. It should be named a separate food group don't you think?

Chocolate makes wrapping presents go by much easier .

At least I think so.

On to announcing the winners . . .

Guess what????

You all win!!

Okie Rednecks

Kyphin

Tammy Ward

Cindy Dyer from Get along Home

Mama.Mommy.Mom

Karen Author of My Funny Dad, Harry

Dana Jones

Linda

Night Owl Mama

Amy K

Josh & Katie

Crafty

Donna S from Another New Season

.Laura.

Jill Clark

Karen of 3G2S

Gretta

Karen

I need all of you to email me your mailing addresses ASAP so I can get these out to you.

Don't worry I'll be emailing all of you just in case you're not paying attention.

Merry Christmas and enjoy your Hershey's Drops!

Winner!!!

2010-12-02T04:43:00.000-05:00

So who won the Stay at Home Date Night???

This person will receive Grill and Wanchai Ferry Dry Dinner kits and a $25.00 Visa Gift card to help make those stay at home date nights fun for her and her husband. The winner is . . . (insert drum roll here)

Gina Maddox from Crave to Save!!!

Congratulations Gina. I'm sure you and your husband will enjoy these date nights.

Next week there will be more chances to win Stocking Stuffers. So come back and check out the other fun stuff!

Happy Holidays!!

Start a Tradition with Hickory Farms!

2010-11-29T12:10:00.036-05:00

I talked about Hickory Farms this time last year and it's time to do that again. When I was growing up, my mom would have these spectacular Christmas Parties. On her list was always Hickory Farms cheese, crackers, and sausage. It just wasn't a party without those things. Still to this day I look forward to going to her house for a party to sample all the fun food that Hickory Farms has to offer.

Even now when my Mr. Right and I receive a Hickory Farms package in the mail it brings me back to those memories of growing up and the Holiday Season. With some of my family so far away, it's the perfect gift to send them to let them know we are thinking of them to.

The second the package was opened my son rushed to take all the candy out of the box and the picnic basket. I think those were his favorite part about receiving the gifts. My favorite part are the different types of spreads. I loved the Pineapple Mustard and Mr. Right just loved the whole thing!

Visit Hickory Farms via the Internet or stop by a kiosk or store at your local mall to send a gift to someone special or to dress up your holiday table!

*Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Hickory Farms and received a signature gift box from Hickory Farms to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Merry Christmas!!

Little Drops of Happiness Giveaway

2010-11-27T00:00:00.113-05:00

Who likes chocolate???

Stupid question .

Are you the kind that will just eat about anything covered in it or are you the casual chocoholic that eats just enough to satisfy

your cravings? I don't normally keep any in the house because it's a HUGE temptation. But every once in a while I give in.

OK I give in A LOT

Hershey’s has a new kind of chocolate which will be available across the country in the next few weeks. They are called Hershey’s Drops and they are so YUMMY!

They will be available in Milk Chocolate and Cookies & Cream. I won’t be surprised if they add more flavors in the next few months. You can't just offer this chocolaty goodness in just two flavors can you?

Hershey's Drops do not have a candy shell and so there is no mess. They are perfect for snacking and sharing.

Who are we kidding.

I'm not sharing mine.

What I love about the Hershey’s Drops are that they are the ideal size for a “chocolate fix”. Each re-sealable bag contains approximately 90 pieces. A serving size is 15 pieces but for me just two or three are satisfying. They are about the size of a quarter!

My favorite is the Cookies N Cream. My children and Mr. Right love the milk chocolate ones. The Cookies & Cream is made with crunchy cookie pieces in a creamy, white chocolate base. I love white chocolate!!

My kids love having a little treat when they have accomplished something awesome or just because I love them.

Look for these delightful little chocolate drops of happiness in a store near you!

For more information about Hershey’s products please visit www.Hersheys.com.

Hershey’s has generously offered to give THIRTY of my readers

Yes I did say 30!!

of my fabulous readers a bag of Hershey's Drops

How awesome is this?

This is a 24-hour ONLY giveaway which will start at 12:01 AM (EST) on Saturday, November 27, 2010 and will end at 11:59 PM (EST) on the same day.

To enter please comment on what little things bring you happiness. I love my boys' contagious giggles, the smell of rain, and . . . .

CHOCOLATE!

For extra entries you can do any or all of the following. Please be sure to leave a separate comment for each that you have done.

For Extra entries you can do the following:

Connect with Three Peas in a Pod on Google Friend Connect

Subscribe to Three Peas in a Pod

Like Hershey’s on Facebook, www.Facebook.com/HERSHEYS.

Like Three Peas on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this awesome giveaway. Please be sure to include me in the tweet so I may see it too. This is limited to 3 tweets per day.

Promote this giveaway on any of the following by posting about it on your blog and/or Facebook.

This giveaway is open to US residents only and will run from 12:01 AM on November 27, 2010 to 11:59 PM on November 27, 2010 (24 hours). The winners will all be selected at random using a random number generator . The winners will be notified via e-mail and will have three days to reply with a name and mailing address (no PO Box) or a new winner will be chosen.

"I received free samples in order to facilitate my review. I was not compensated. The opinions expressed are my own. Hershey’s will be providing the prizes."

How do you Fill Your Cup?

2010-11-24T21:16:00.003-05:00

It's so easy to sing the whoa is me song when things are just not going well. Don't you love it when you ask "How's it going" and you regret saying it? It's the negative thinking that makes us all forget that "Things are always better than they seem" (Thanks to Jonathan Robbins the Pastor at Summit Church for reminding me).

Things weren't going well for us when our son was born. We had one car, not much money and a little boy with some serious medical issues. I moved to a new town where I didn't know anyone. At that time in my life I started feeling sorry for me and our situation. But I was always reminded that God is always with me. I'm not going through this alone.

Life was slowly getting better for us and now we have been blessed with three special needs kids. There are times that I lock myself in the bathroom and cry, I lose my temper and my patience runs thin. The last few months have been emotionaly hard and I find my self complaining A LOT!!

But last weekend, I had an AHA! moment. If you want to watch to the message you can do so , here. The last few days I made it a point to see my frustrations and challenges in our lives in a different light. I'm more calm, and happy this week than I have in a long time. Granted I'm not perfect but my attitude has been much better.

Have you ever read the book "It could be Worse" by James Stevenson? Such a great story of viewing your cup as half full instead of half empty. How do you fill your cup? I hope that all of you view your life as better than it seems not just on Thanksgiving, but everyday. You will be surprised how your outlook on life will change.

I hope that you all have safe trips and have a blessed time with your family and friends. Keep looking up! Life is always better than it seems.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a Date Night With Macaroni Grill and Wanchai Ferry

2010-11-21T17:46:00.002-05:00

I met Mr. Right online back in 2003 in an AOL chat room of all places. On our first date he drove an hour and a half to be with me. He took me to Macaroni Grill which has become a favorite date night restaurant for us. I remember enjoying a fabulous dinner and sharing a Tiramisu with him.

Mr. Right and I on our honeymoon in 2004

Now 6 years and three kiddos later we don't have the luxury of going out often ALONE much anymore. But we do love to feed the kids an early dinner, put them to bed and enjoy a nice meal and a great movie just the two of us once the noise has died down.

Now we can enjoy the classic restaurant entrees in the convenient comfort of home without spending hours in the kitchen. Your favorite table is always ready, so Stay In and Go All Out!^® With Wanchai Ferry and Macaroni Grill Dry Dinner kits you can have still have your date night without spending a lot of money.

We enjoyed the Creamy Basil Dinner Kit from Macaroni Grill and the Orange Chicken from Wanchai Ferry. Both were easy to make and all we needed to add was the meat. It was quick and easy. Perfect for when we have both been on our feet all day. I loved both dinners and am looking forward to buying a few other dinner kits. The other kits include: Cashew Chicken, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Kung Pao Chicken, Spicy Chicken , Chicken Piccata, Chicken Marsala, Chicken Alfredo, Garlic and Herb Chicken as well as the other two kits I mentioned.

How would you like your own date night at home?

Sounds awesome right?

I thought so too.

Which is why I'm giving away a Date Night Prize Pack which includes one Wanchai Ferry dry dinner kit, one Macaroni Grill dry dinner kit, and a $25 Visa gift card so you can create a romantic date night at home.

To enter all you need to do is tell me about your first date with your other half.

For extra entries you can do the following:

Follow Three Peas in a Pod on twitter
Tweet about this giveaway including @3pspod and a link to this post (daily)

Win a Macaroni Grill & Wanchai Ferry Dinner Kit & a $25 Visa Card @3pspod http://bit.ly/aFjOtd Ends 11/28 #giveaway #myblogspark

Follow Three Peas in a Pod via Google Friends Connect
Subscribe to Three Peas in a Pod
Like Three Peas on Facebook
Add my button to your blog you can find it by clicking on the "Link to Me Button" under the header (leave me a link were I can find it)

I will pick a winner using random.org at 5 pm on November 28th and is open to US residents only.

Disclosure: The products, prize pack, information and additional prize pack to give away were all given to you from Wanchai Ferry and Macaroni Grill through MyBlogSpark. All views expressed are my own opinions.

SanDisk Sansa Fuze+ MP3 Player

2010-11-20T07:02:00.000-05:00

When I was asked to review the Sansa Fuze+ I jumped at the chance. It's light weight, dare I say it's lighter than the iPod (*gasp*). It's sleek, thin and easy to use. Although I found the navigation touch pad a tad too sensitive but I'm sure I will get used to it.

Similar to the iPod you charge it through your computer. You can get a handcrafted playlist with one 1000 songs by getting a preloaded card. By purchasing a slotRadio card you can listen to your playlist or listen to your favorite radio station. Which I love! The only issue I have is that the card is super tiny and can be very easily lost. But on the other hand the card case is small and doesn't take up much room in your purse.

Not only can you play music, listen to the radio but you can download videos, store photos, even record your favorite radio shows and play them back whenever you want. How cool is that? The slotRadio cards come in several categories: Classical, Health and Fitness, Hip Hop, Rock, 80's and 90's etc. Right now I only see eleven cards available but I'm sure they will be offering more soon.

The Sansa Fuze+ comes in a variety of colors and start at $79.99 depending on the capacity you choose. They come in 4, 8, and 16 GB. Visit the SanDisk site for information on where to buy them!

These would make perfect Christmas gifts this Holiday season. So I recommend you check them out!

"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of SanDisk and received the SanDisk Sansa Fuze+ and VH1 slotRadio Card to facilitate my review.”

Car Toons: Mater's Tall Tales for the Wii

2010-11-20T06:01:00.001-05:00

As a family we have enjoyed playing all kinds of games on the Wii. But my boys were a little younger when we first got it. Now that they have started getting the hang of the remotes and asking to play we have been looking for games that are kid friendly and easy for them to understand. Here enters, Cars Toon: Mater’s Tall Tales for Wii . This particular game is part of the Mania! video game franchise, featuring fast-paced, multiplayer, family fun.

Basically, up to 4 players can play 30+ games, which include all the cartoon shorts found in the Mater’s Tall Tales movie. You can choose to play together as a team or compete against one another. And (one of Little Monkey's favorite parts), you can customize your car, using money that you earn by playing the game.

My boys are into cars, . . BIG TIME! So this game was right up their alley. My oldest son loved racing around and putting out fires. This game was based on the Tall Tale where Mater became a Fire Truck. Just watching there faces light up while playing is good enough for me. And I also love the fact that we can all play as a family. No one gets left out because it's great for all ages.

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Disney Interactive Studios and received the Cars Toon: Mater’s Tall Tales Wii game to facilitate my review.

Win a Pair of Ugg Boots!!!

2010-11-18T13:04:00.003-05:00

It's cooler already . . . ok not so much here but it's getting there. What better way to keep your feet warm than with a pair of ugg boots by Whooga Europe! These boots are made with thicker and denser merino Thermofleece than traditional Ugg boots. Which makes for some toasty toes. You can wear these without socks because the inside is so soft and thick!

I'd love to own a pair of these wouldn't you? I don't even own a pair of boots. * Gasp!* But these are high on my shopping list. You may get to own a pair! How cool is that?

Whoogo Europe is giving away one pair of ugg boots at the end of every month! All you have to do is sign up for their newsletter. So easy! Best thing about it for you, It's open to all!

So head on over to Whooga Europe and sign up for their news letter. The folks at Whooga Europe have been kind enough to offer you 10% off for the next week. Use the coupon Code: 922PEAS

An Organized Diaper Bag is Just a "Clic" Away!!

2010-11-15T13:52:00.003-05:00

Tired of endlessly rummaging though your diaper bag in search of that much needed pacifier or changing pad? On the go parents can now keep everything they need organized and accessible, thanks to new Clic-it, the first Smart Diaper Bag System that adapts with a single "click" to meet the changing needs of moms, dads and little ones. Unique and versatile, Clic-it allows you to customize your diaper bag to perfectly suit your baby's different ages of activities. The patented system allows parents to conveniently add, remove or rearrange a variety of accessory totes such as bottle holders, key rings and pacifier cases so your bag holds what you want, where you want it. With Clic- it, parents can find whatever it is they are looking for in a snap!

My boys are older but I still carry around a ton of "stuff" with me. Changes of clothes, coloring books, paper and crayons, snacks, iPad etc. This was perfect! Rather than carrying a purse and a bag for them which can be interesting when your chasing a child in the doctor's office parking lot. I find myself always having to put the stuff down then go after my kids. I can keep my keys, phone , the contents of my own purse, plus there things.

I know where everything is and can find it in a flash rather than fishing around in the bag trying to find an extra pair of socks. or the crayon box. I know which compartment I put it in. My boys love the bottle holder. Although they don't use bottles anymore but we store cold bottles of water for them. Perfect for when we are at the park.

Clic-It accessories include: Bottle Holder, Insulated tote, Pacifier Case, Diapers and Wipes Case, Organizer Pouch, Key Ring and Gadget Case. All you need is one had to attach or detach your baby's travel accessories with one simple "click". The bag has a sophisticated look and doesn't that is great for both moms and dads. I don't know a dad who wants to carry a "baby" looking diaper bag. Do you?

Another great feature is how easy is it is to clean. Just wipe it off and your done!

Clic-It is kicking off the “Gearing Up for Baby” contest from November 15 – December 24. Log onto www.clicitbag.com for details on how to enter for a chance to win a prize pack including a new Clic-It diaper bag and accessory assortment (retail value: $117.00).

"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Team Mom on behalf of Clic-It and received the Clic-it Diaper Bag System to facilitate my review."

In Case you Were Wonder'n

2010-11-12T11:10:00.000-05:00


This is the correct way to play with your iPhone.

I'm just say'n . . .

Gap Give and Get Coupon

2010-11-11T14:55:00.001-05:00

Hey Readers! I just wanted to let you know about this great coupon! From November 11 - 14, enjoy holiday savings with the Gap Give & Get Coupon while helping to provide a quality education for students across our nation. With this coupon, you will receive 30% off all in-store purchases at Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Gap (outlets included) while sending 5% of what you spend to maximize Teach For America’s impact in our nation’s most impoverished school districts. Please find the unique link to the coupon here.

And while you save, spread the holiday spirit! After you complete your purchase, pass the printed coupon to the shopper behind you in line and ask her to do the same.

Did you Survive the Sugar Highs????

2010-11-02T14:11:00.001-04:00

Halloween was a whirlwind of activity. With parties, illnesses, pumpkin carving, sleep overs, and everything in between. But I did manage to put together costumes for my three kids for not a whole lot of money.

Baby Girl was a Pirate / Gypsy. We used a puffy shirt from Walmart that was $12.00 and can be used again. She already had the black boots. They were perfect since they had a vintage buckle on each side. The skirt I made with a tutorial by Tracy at Mad Quilter. Hers was a toddler size and she helped me out with figuring out the measurements for a teen. Thanks for your help Tracy!!

The skull cap was bought at the Spirit Store along with the sword which she kept in her boot for safe keeping. Don't all pirates do that? The skull cap kept falling off so I took what was left of the skull and crossbones fabric and made a bandanna. All in all this costume cost about 17.00 compared to $30.00 at a retail store.

Little Monkey was Super Mario. His was super simple. I just used a red shirt and overalls which he will wear over and over again. I made the hat using Helen from Groovy Kids Stuff tutorial. I didn't have anymore white felt so I used some of my fusible fleece and ironed a circle to his hat and wrote an "M" on it with a sharpie. It was super easy to make and LM was so excited to see it finished. Mr. Right made the mustache out of black felt and double stick tape. It stayed on there very well. All in all this costume cost me $2.00 for the remnant of fleece I found at Joanns.

Tiger insisted on being a black cat like the one who lives outside in our backyard. He wore black fleece sweatpants and a black long sleeved shirt. We bought the tail, the ears, the nose and the collar at the spirit store for around $6.00. I sewed a large black button to the rear end of his sweat pants to hold the tail on. Seeing himself in the mirror made him giddy with excitement. He was so ready to go trick or treating that he was having no more pictures taken of him.

I did manage to capture this one before he got impatient

I love the picture of Baby Girl

Baby Girl, Princess Music, and Little Monkey

So did you survive all the sugars highs? How much of your kid's candy did you eat?

Hershey's makes Halloween Fun!!!

2010-10-26T05:21:00.002-04:00

From pumpkin-shaped Reese’s® Peanut Butter Cups to Hershey®’s Kisses® Brand Chocolates disguised in Halloween colors of silver, black and orange, Hershey treats are spook-tacularly festive this Halloween season. With more than 60 percent of consumers planning to pass out candy for Halloween 2010, Hershey has ‘dressed up’ classic favorites for the season and introduced new, frightfully delicious Halloween candy assortments to enchant trick-or-treaters and sweeten seasonal parties.

Hershey offers a wide array of new candy assortments perfect for trick-or-treaters, including:

NEW – Twizzlers® Assortment 120 Snack Size Pieces (Mini Bars Candy Strawberry, Pull n’ Peel Candy Wildberry and Pull n’ Peel Candy Green Apple)
NEW – Hershey’s Cookies ‘N’ Crème Jumbo Bag Snack Size Treats
NEW – Hershey’s Chocolate Assortment with 100 Snack Size Pieces (Kit Kat Crisp Wafers, York Peppermint Patties, Hershey’s Mr. Goodbar® Candy Bars, Reese’s Pieces® Candy, Hershey’s Chocolate Lollipops, Milk Duds® Candy, Jolly Rancher® Doubles Candy and Whoppers® Malted Milk Balls)
NEW – Hershey’s Candy Assortment with 100 Snack Size Packages (Reese’s Pieces Candy, Whoppers Malted Milk Balls, Milk Duds Candy and Jolly Rancher Lollipops)

Additional classic favorites for the season include:

Reese’s Lovers 50 Snack Size Pieces (Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Reese’s Pieces Candy and Reese’s Fast Break® Candy Bar)
Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins Jumbo Snack Size
Hershey’s Seasonal Shapes Assortment with 50 Snack Size Packages (Hershey’s Tombstone-shaped Moulded Bars in Milk Chocolate and Cookies ‘N’ Crème flavors, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins)
Harvest Hershey®’s Kisses® Brand Candy Corn Flavored Candy
Harvest York® Peppermint Patties Pumpkin Shapes
York® Peppermint Batty

Can’t decide how to “boo-tify” yourself for Halloween this year? According to a national survey conducted by The Hershey Company, personal candy preferences may provide insight into Halloween costume choices. According to the survey:

About 30 percent of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, Kit Kat Wafer Bar and Hershey’s Milk Chocolate lovers will do the monster mash this year as a vampire, witch or monster.
Fans of Twizzlers Twists may get the chance to show their dance moves as they twist the night away dressed in garb from the 1950s. More than 41 percent stated they plan to dress-up in period piece costumes from different eras of the 20^th century.
Jolly Rancher lovers will most likely sport a cape on the holiday, as 23 percent expressed a desire to channel superhuman powers as their favorite superhero.

Hershey’s seasonal offerings can be found at retailers nationwide. For more information on Hershey’s Halloween products, as well as costume ideas, spooky screensavers, desktop wallpapers, delicious recipes, craft activities and party invitations, visit www.CelebrateWithHersheys.com.

My family Loves chocolate. I love the white chocolate Cookies N' Cream, Mr. Right is a Hershey's Dark Chocolate fan and my kids love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. And the Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins are a hit this Spooky season with all of us. Visiting the Celebrate with Hershey's website is a must. It's packed full of recipes, Costume ideas with instructions, and even crafts to do with the kids. In addition to all that great stuff I just mentioned, there are party ideas, invitations, printable stencils for decorating and so much more!!

So have a Spooktacular time on Halloween. Enjoy the fun treats at Hershey's and stay safe!!

" I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by the Hershey Company and received samples of a variety of their candies to facilitate my candid review."

The Bryton Pick

2010-10-19T06:00:00.002-04:00

I recently reviewed the Bryton Pick, an alternative to flossing. I loved the convenience and the fact that it is so compact and thin that it doesn't take up any room in my purse. It is reusable for 30 days... I personally alcohol it and rinse it off real well before I use it again. But it is effective. It got in-between teeth that regular floss wouldn't. It is metal but not rigid like you would think. It's so thin that the metal is flexible. It is handy. Just put it in your pocket (in its carrying case), or your purse, go have dinner or lunch, and then clean your teeth. Pretty nifty for on the go, or even for use at home. I like that is has different angles so you can get in all the spaces of your mouth. I think it is a worth a try to see if you like it yourself!

Check out BrytonPick online HERE.

Wordless Wednesday - On the Next America's Got Talent!!!

2010-10-13T10:51:00.000-04:00

Little Monkey goes to the Hospital

2010-10-11T10:00:00.001-04:00

Little Monkey spent some time in the hospital last week. You see, when he was a babe he could not eat by mouth and was had a PEG tube placed in his stomach. It was removed when he was 18 months old but the hole in his stomach and his skin never closed. We opted to do fix this issue because the hole was leaking and bleeding all the time. And he would complain that his scar hurt.

We explained to him that he was going to take a nap and when he woke up that his tummy would be fixed. The anesthetists gave him Valium before they took him back to the OR. We just happened to video his progression as the medicine took affect. It's five minutes of entertainment just for you!

'Cause I'm nice like that!

While he was in recovery he kept trying to get out of bed. So the nurse had me sit on the bed so he wouldn't escape. Little Monkey continued to try to "escape" the entire visit. At one point in the middle of the night, I woke up to find him standing on the bed with his gown behind him and his arms stuck over his head. He apparently trying to undress but got stuck with the IV tubes. When he was asked what he was doing he said he wanted to get dressed and go to McDonald's.

That's my boy!

He couldn't eat until 24 hours after his surgery and when he woke up the next morning they gave him the best breakfast ever.

Popsicles!!

He was so hungry that he ate four of them!

Being with daddy was the ticket to keeping him calm.

There's nothing better than a nap with daddy when your not feeling well.

It didn't take Little Monkey long to get back to playing and his normal sweet self. He should be a pro at this after all the surgeries he's had in his life.

Sorry for the really small pictures. Blogger won't let me upload pictures from my computer and when I use PhotoBucket , the pictures are tiny no matter what size I tell it to upload.

Did YOU Win????

2010-10-08T14:30:00.000-04:00

There were 116 entries . . .

That's a record here at Three Peas!!

Thanks to everyone who participated.

I wonder how many of you sang the "I'm a little Teapot" song and got some strange looks?

Anyone . . .

So . . . .

Are you on the edge of your seats yet?

Holding your breath in anticipation?

Are you getting tired of me dragging this on to the point of ridiculousness?

OK!!!

And the winner is . . . .

(drum roll please)

Teresa Choplin of Non-Typical Mom !!!!

Congratulations Teresa!! Email me your mailing address and I'll get the prize pack to you!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-05T22:30:00.007-04:00

The Spirit of Adventure

2010-10-04T14:09:00.004-04:00

When I was 17 I spent 6 weeks in Australia and New Zealand and fell in love with both countries. They both has a sense of adventure to them. The people there love the outdoors, sports, and things that go fast.

Are you going to visit the land "Down Under" anytime soon? Do you live there? Do you need some help with gift ideas? Check out Adrenalin, Australia's largest adventure company, with over 2,000 exciting experiences and gifts to choose from throughout Australasia. From Sea Kayaking to SCUBA diving, Mountain Biking to driving Rally Cars, Skydiving to Helicopter Flights and everything in between.

Use Adrenalin for those upcoming Christmas gifts. They will be the gift they remember for years to come.This site makes it so easy to find gifts for those hard to buy for people on your list. Personally I would love the White Water Rafting or the Trapeze adventure. Of course there are the more calmer adventures such as a massage, flower arranging classes, dance classes and even self defense classes.

Each experience will bring memories that will last a lifetime!

Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers

2010-10-04T13:18:00.000-04:00

I had an opportunity to review Healthy Choice’s new Cafe Steamers thanks to Mom Central. I like to keep some variety in my healthy lunch options. I'm don't like to make a big lunch if I don't have to. And I normally eat a frozen entree of some sort for lunch.

Cafe' Steamers have more of a variety to bring to my lunch table. Since I was sent the Sesame Glazed Chicken to try I have bought the Honey Balsamic Chicken, Lemon Herb Chicken, and the Rosemary Chicken and Sweet potatoes. Are you catching the theme here? I love Chicken! And I can't choose just one favorite. They are all so good.

I tried the Sesame Glazed Chicken first. The directions for all of the Cafe Steamers are really quite easy. The hardest part is not to puncture the plastic on top. I'm so used to doing that with all the other frozen entrees out there. I was tempted to do it and had to read the directions at least four times to make sure I read it right. It steams itself and turns out just perfect. The veggies were so good firm but cooked. And they were so bright in color you could tell the vitamins were not lost on these guys. As far as the taste goes, it was great.

Does that not look so yummy????

I am pleased that I now have more variety to my lunch menu. I would suggest Cafe Steamers to anyone whether you are watching your calories or not. It's so full of flavor that you will be satisfied. We have and will purchase these on our own again.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Healthy Choice and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Wordless Wednesday - Classy Dresser

2010-09-29T11:01:00.000-04:00

Went to the Pet Store in Search of a Lizard . . . .

2010-09-24T13:18:00.000-04:00

After taking the kids to the Lazy 5 Ranch in Mooresville, NC on Labor Day weekend, Mr. Right wanted to get a turtle or a lizard. Something small and slimy that would live in a fish tank and require not much maintenance. So after a hearty breakfast of Belgian waffles and the ruse of we need to pick up some food for our two dogs and four cats we piled the kids in the car and headed to our local pet store.

Mr. Right led the procession of shoppers in training to the reptilian section and proceeded to show the kids how fun these pets would be. They saw geckos, chameleons, snakes, hermit crabs and Iguana's. Apparently, it is illegal to sell turtles in NC. Who Knew! So that was out for us. But the boys grew bored and wanted to see more animals.

So our small procession of shopping carts traveled to the small rodents area where they were easily enamored with the mice, hamsters, gerbils and Guinea pigs. So much so that the squeals of happiness could be heard in the stock room.

But what really caught their eyes were these

The excitement was felt to the bone from each family member. Including yours truly. They were the cutest things and they were just begging to come home with us. And so they did.

Meet Jack and Jill

They both are only 4 months old and are very curious about everything. At first they were biting us all the time but we nipped that issue in the bud pronto. Jill is the smaller one and is turning a more chocolate brown with a white face. Jack is quite a bit larger and is mostly white but I'm sure as he gets older his fur will get darker too.

They are so fun to play with and are hilarious to watch. But they love Dr. Pepper and will knock over a glass just to get to it. So we have to make sure all our drinks are out of the room before they are let out.

Yes they stink but we have been giving them an additive in there water that takes away the smell of their litter mess. And they get a bath and get spritzed down with smelly good for their fur stuff. So all in all the smell is at a minimum. Which is a good thing for me. But I think they are too cute. And the kids are so glad we brought them home with us.

Jack looking a tad startled from the flash.

Jill climbing out of the cushions on the couch.

Note: Some of you are wondering what made that mess in the previous post. It was not these guys. It was my 3yr old . I woke up and found him throwing the fluff in the air and exclaiming "Look, Mommy, SNOW!!"

Lord, Grant Me Patience . . .

2010-09-19T18:35:00.000-04:00

This is what I woke up to this morning.

Get your Kids in the KNOW

2010-09-19T06:14:00.001-04:00

As a child into adulthood, science as always fascinated me. In fact, I had a subscription to Popular Science, which I devoured ever month. Granted, I didn't understand most of it but I loved the pictures. Now there is a magazine that is easy to understand with bright and colorful images to get there attention. There are fun activities and experiments to do to peak your young scientists.

There is so much information packed into KNOW magazine that your kids will want to read it over and over again. Even adults will want to read it and try the activities and experiments. It's not a matter of you needing to supervise the activities but you will be drawn to. Just to find out the end result for your self.

My kids loved reading about the Glass frog, how screen printed t-shirts are made, and trying there hand at string art. This magazine gets them excited to learn and that's an A+ in my book!

"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Mad Science and received the products necessary to facilitate my review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate."

This is Why . . . .

2010-09-17T16:34:00.000-04:00

I see Engineering in my boy's future

That is all

Yoplait Whips Prize Pack Giveaway

2010-09-17T06:41:00.004-04:00

I'm not the world's biggest yogurt fan. For me it's a texture thing. I've tried Yoplait Whips before and they're light and airy and have a mousse like texture which I love. In fact my autistic son will not eat Yogurt for any reason. Even the sight of it makes him scream and run. Did you know you could freeze them? Tastes so yummy frozen. Now my son will eat yogurt as long as it's frozen. We don't tell him it's yogurt. SHHHH it's our little secret!!!

They come in so many appealing flavors like Chocolate Mousse, Key Lime Pie, Peaches ‘N Cream, Raspberry Mousse, Strawberry Mist, and Vanilla Créme. My favorites are the Strawberry Mist and Vanilla Creme'. And my son loves the Raspberry Mousse.

You can visit Yoplait on Facebook or Yoplait on Twitter and “Like” or “Follow” the brand to keep up with their latest and greatest products. While you’re there, take a minute to share your photos and the link to your blog post on Yoplait's Facebook Page.

You can download a $.55 coupon toward the purchase of any 2 cups of Yoplait Whips by clicking here. This coupon offer for free Yoplait Whips! yogurt is not valid in some states, including California, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, North Dakota and Tennessee.

Yoplait has offered to give One lucky reader their own Yoplait Whips prize pack courtesy of Yoplait and My Blog Spark. It includes an insulated lunch tote, a coupon for a cup of Yoplait Whips, and a cute popsicle molds.
To Enter
Visit Yoplait and leave a comment about your favorite flavor or recipe.
Extra Entries (leave a separate comment for each one):

Read to your kids today
Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect
Like Yoplait on Facebook, leave a comment letting me know
Like Three Peas in a Pod on Facebook leave a comment letting me know
Sing "I'm a Little Teapot" to yourself or anyone who will listen
Follow @YoplaitYogurt on Twitter
Follow @3pspod and tweet this giveaway, leaving a link to your tweet in the comments. You can tweet once per day (leave a comment each day). You can copy and paste my tweet if you'd like: Win a @YoplaitYogurt Whips! prize package http://bit.ly/9KmHRF

US Postal addresses only.You must do the first entry in order to enter to enter. The winner will be chosen on Wednesday October 6th via a random number generator.

Disclosure: I received a Yoplait Whips prize pack from Yoplait and My Blog Spark for participating in this campaign.

Rock Symphonies

2010-09-14T14:39:00.000-04:00

International superstar David Garrett has been performing sold-out classical violin shows since he was a young boy, playing with the London Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Russian National Orchestra by age 12. The German born musician has breathed new life into the genre of classical music and has amassed a large and devoted global following of fans. Most of whom are younger than the listeners traditionally associated with classical music.

Garrett was the best-selling new classical artist of 2009. His debut album for Decca, entitled David Garrett, debuted at #1 on the Classical Crossover Chart and held the position for 31 solid weeks! He hold the Guinness Book of World Records title for the fastest performance of "The Flight of the Bumblebee," which he performed recently on Oprah.

His new album, Rock Symphonies brings together Garrett's great loves: classical music and the rock music of his generation. The album uniquely blends classical violin with songs from bands such as Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith and Nirvana. The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard Classical Crossover chart (second to Sting at #1) and is still holding its position.

I love classical music and it's even better with a modern twist. I'm drawn towards the violin and amazed at the people who can play it. I think my favorite songs on this album is , "Smells Like Teen Spirit" , " The 5th", and "Vivaldi vs. Vertigo".

Rock Symphonies is available at Best Buy, iTunes and Amazon.

Labor Day Fun!

2010-09-08T12:48:00.001-04:00

Waking up Saturday Morning, I was all prepared to spend the day picking up messes behind the boys, stopping fights, and listening to "I'm bored" from my teenage daughter. Little did I know that Mr. Right thought of a plan. A plan to tire those kids out, to eliminate mess in our home, and curb the arguing. A plan to spend the day with our family without the TV, computer games, and a mecca of toys. A chance for us to be together having fun. A trip to the Lazy 5 Ranch in Mooresville, NC did the trick.

We reserved a place on a horse drawn wagon and toured the ranch. Enjoying the cool weather, and being up close to some rather unique animals. There were pot bellied pigs, antelope, water buffalo, kangaroos, rhinoceros, parrots, tortoises, and even giraffes!

We all enjoyed getting to feed each animal. Poor Baby Girl got slimed by a Watusi when it ate from her hand. She even got mud all over her from a Water Buffalo that decided that his mud bath was done and followed us around. He decided to shake the mud off just as he came within 5 feet of the wagon.

The Zebras were too funny. We were told that when they sense danger they stand motionless so that they can blend in with the trees . Which makes them harder to see. In NC, it doesn't exactly work the way they want it to.

Want to see some more pictures from our day at the Ranch?

I thought so.

After the wagon ride we enjoyed a picnic at the playground and let the kids run around and wear themselves out while we sat and enjoyed the cooler air. Then we toured some of the caged animals like the goats, doves, hares, camels, and lemurs before we headed home. As you can see Little Monkey was worn out by the end of the day.

The day was full of laughter, smiles, and sweet hugs from our kids. I even heard several "Thank You, Dad" 's . And Mr. Right and I enjoyed a quiet evening with tired children snug in there beds .

More on our Labor Day weekend in another post! What did you do?

Moon Dough

2010-08-26T12:48:00.001-04:00

Want dough that never dries out and is hypo-allergenic and wheat free? Then Moon Dough is perfect for your 2-4yr old. Moon Dough is an amazing new molding compound unlike anything you've seen before! I was surprised that it was very soft in texture and very easy to clean up. I have had the other molding compounds that were super hard to clean up. Most of the time we would have to vacuum it up and lose it all forever in order to get it off the floor.

There are a number of fun Moon Dough play sets to choose from, including: The barnyard, Pizza Shop, Magic Molding Doghouse and the Burger Shop. We have the barnyard which my boys love. I think the part they love the best is seeing what animal comes out of the chute next. . This play set was so easy to put together. My oldest put it together himself.

The dough is perfect for kids like my son who have sensory issues. There are certain textures my son won't touch . When he was encouraged to try he found the texture so soothing that he dove right in playing along side his brother. Moon Dough comes in eight exciting colors: Blue, Green, White, Orange, Purple, Red, Pink and Yellow. I think our next packed of Moon Dough will be Purple. Since it's my boys favorite color.

Moon Dough Play sets are available at Toys "r" US, Target, Walmart, Kmart, Amazon.com, A.C. Moore, Michaels and eToys. These play sets are really quite reasonable and come with a few colors of Moon Dough in each box.

Back to School

2010-08-26T06:38:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was a milestone for LM.

My miracle baby.

The one who struggled for life 5 years ago.

That was fed by a feeding tube for almost 2 years.

That sweet little inquisitive boy started Kindergarten!

Because of his Autism, I thought for sure his first day would be a struggle for him.

He surprised me by being brave and sitting in his seat.

His teachers say he didn't talk much (little do they know) but he was happy.

He talked to me after school all bout what he had for lunch, that he colored not one picture but two!!!

And how he got to play on the playground.

I love that he 's so excited about school this year.

Last year was a struggle.

He's been in the public school system since the age of three but last year was a doozie.

It's looking like this is the year he will shine.

Concepts grasped, coping with others will be easier, and wanting to be at school a priority.

At least that's what I'm praying for.

How was your child's first day at school?

The Great Avocado

2010-08-26T06:13:00.002-04:00

I detested avocados until I was about 15. Why I didn't like them is beyond me since I had never tasted them. I guess it was the fact that they were green and slimy on the inside. It wasn't until my grandmother encouraged me to try some while visiting her one holiday season in California. I was hooked. Now I eat them in my sandwiches, salads, with chips, and even pasta! I even snuck avocados in LM's meals to help him gain weigh when he was younger and not gaining weight like we would like. He says he doesn't like them. Little does he know! But my favorite dish is a summer favorite. Tomato, Basil Salad with a vinaigrette dressing. And those tomatoes have to be homegrown Not the store bought ones.

Vinaigrette dressing

3 Tbs olive oil
4 tsp wine vinegar or cider vinegar (4 teaspoons) or lemon juice
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp whole grain Dijon mustard or French mustard
- salt
pepper

Salad

2 ripe avocados
1 cucumber (thinly sliced)
4 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
6oz. mozzarella cheese (thinly sliced)
4-5 large leaves of fresh basil (chopped)
parsley (to garnish)

Not only do Avocados taste great they do contain healthy fats! According to the USDA-ARS, phytonutrients such as those found in Avocados may be beneficial to your health in a number of ways.

      • Serve as antioxidants
    • Enhance your immune response
                                                      • Help metabolize vitamin A

The Avocado League has a contest going on called the "Big Hit". Please visit the site and vote for your favorite recipe!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Mexican Hass Avocado Importers Association. Mom Central also sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Open for Business!!

2010-08-23T13:09:00.001-04:00

This has been in the works for several years. But with three kids it's hard to actually get things done. So I bit the bullet and did it. Marie & Rose offers craft supplies and handmade party favor boxes/bags, and gift tags.

At the moment I carry Marie - Madeline Studio sewing patterns. Not only are they easy to understand and the pictures clear and full of detail, the end result is a beautiful item that classy, stylish and will be treasured for a long time!

Tessa Bloomers & Bag Pattern

Pleated Cottage Apron

In addition to these gorgeous patterns, I have in my shop Mini Tins (1/2 oz). These little cuties are perfect to package handmade glass tile pendants, storing buttons, or use them for your next party and fill them with small mints or other candies. They are blank and perfect for decorating!

Mini Tins

I just received a shipment of ribbons and trim and a 2oz. size of the tins today. Those will be added this afternoon. In the next few weeks I will be adding more items so keep visiting Marie & Rose for your crafting and party supplies!

Beat the Heat with Gatorade

2010-08-17T08:13:00.003-04:00

As a young girl the heat didn't bother me. But then again I didn't play sports. At least the outdoor ones anyways. But now I'm grown up . .

sort of

and I have a teenage daughter has a sensitivity to heat. She tends to get sick, shaky, and on occasion pass out. I always thought we were doing well to make sure she had water with her all the time. But somehow she always ended up sick.

Moms play a key role in keeping their athletes safe, and we need to understand that young athletes may be at greater risk for heat-related illness and know the ways to prevent it.

Water isn’t enough. While fundamental, water alone does not hydrate and refuel as effectively as Gatorade.Gatorade supplies the proper amount of fluid, electrolytes and carbohydrates to rapidly put back what your young athlete loses in sweat and provides energy to keep them going.

In drinking water, the brain may turn off the perception of thirst before the body’s overall fluid needs are met and stops the athlete from fully rehydrating. The electrolytes in Gatorade help maintain the stimulus to drink so athletes drink enough to replenish and refuel .

Equipment makes a difference - wear light net-type jerseys, T-shirts and shorts, change sweat-soaked clothing, avoid wearing excess clothing, remove helmets when not playing and remember to stay hydrated.

You can help- download a free Gatorade Heat Safety Kit found at www.nfl.com/trainingcamp. For every unique download Gatorade will donate $1 to “Beat the Heat” charities up to $20,000.

Since I started giving my daughter Gatorade instead of water she has had no ill effects from the heat and hiking, horseback riding, volleyball, and riding bikes continues to be her favorite activities.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Gatorade’s “Beat the Heat” campaign and received Gatorade samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Mod Podge Rocks!!!

2010-08-05T15:34:00.000-04:00

I have become addicted to all things Mod Podge.

Seriously

I have so many projects in my head using my favorite stuff. It could quiet possibly take the rest of the year to finish them all.

There are so many possibilities when it comes to Mod Podge.

Not to mention peeling the glue off your hands when your done.

Come on!!!

You know you like it too.

So, this is what I have been working on.

This Framed Magnetic Board is perfect for a small space. And the Magnets are just Kanzashi Flowers. Cute huh?

What are you making this week?

Venetian Masks

2010-07-29T11:23:00.000-04:00

Back in high school when I saw Romeo and Juliet was the first time I'd ever seen Venetian Masks. They were mesmerizing. Absolutely gorgeous. Each one is so uniquely made and one of a kind.

1001 Venetian Masks have exquisite masks of all types from Columbina, Galletto, to Jolly and Zanni- Nazo. Most of us don't know what any of that means other than they are truly one of a kind. Can you imagine the details that go into each one? The artists are so talented and painstakingly created each mask.

I love the vibrant colors, and the rich details. They used to be used to hide the identity of the wearer but now are used to accentuate the room where it is displayed. And it doesn't matter what style of room it is. You can always find one that is perfect.

1001 Venetian Masks personally select all theyʼre Masquerade Masks themselves and each one is made by Master Artisans and is 100% authentic – no imitations. They have also perfected packaging that ensures that the mask arrives safely.

I have always admired Venetian Masks and always will. They are so beautiful and eye catching. I have seen other companies that sell them but honestly they are not as elegant as these for the price. Check them out!

The Road Taken

2010-07-27T15:09:00.000-04:00

For the last month, this is what we have been dealing with. We are privileged to live on a corner where the DOT has decided to widen the road.

On both sides of the corner.

BOTH SIDES!!!

Our trash has not been picked up in weeks.

The Smell.

Gross is all I have to say.

Recycling ignored.

The only service we have gotten is mail.

Everyday at 6:30am they come to work.

Except Sundays

Am I surprised to find out that Inmates are working in my front yard, in my driveway and in my backyard?

YES!

Am I a tad paranoid?

YES!

Somehow they have managed to cut every utility line except our electricity.

It's coming soon.

I can feel it.

The road is closed here and has been for the last month. Only about six houses on this street are confined.

Makes for a great place to play in the street without worrying about the cars coming.

But it's a mess.

Red clay, Piles of gravel, 6ft. holes in the ground, bulldozer's everywhere.

Workmen.

EVERYWHERE!

They are supposed to be done before school starts.

DOUBT IT!!!!

I'm such a proud mom.

Tiger and Daddy visited the bulldozers.

Tiger is in his winter shirt , skivvies, and one red Croc and one blueCroc

It was 102 outside.

Will I ever figure that kid out?

Probably Not.

Pop On Pals is a Whole New World of "Popabilities"

2010-07-27T14:28:00.000-04:00

My sons both love anything that spins, cars that go down hills. and interchangeable people. Which is why they loved the Pop On Pals Amusement Park when we received it in the mail. Those boys have played with it for hours. (I'd take pictures but my autistic son is against picture taking *sigh*). LM's favorite part is the Ferris Wheel and Tiger's favorite is the roller coaster. He loves to place the play set at the end of the couch and let the people go down the coaster so he can catch them in his homemade net (aka a blanket).

Pop On Pals encourages imaginative play and helps little ones develop fine motor skills. Pals are perfectly sized for small hands to play with and the signature "pop" sound adds to the fun. The Amusement Park Play Set comes to life with lights, sounds, music and more! Pop your pal in five different activation points for lots of action/reaction play. You can find Pop On Pals at Toys "R" Us, Target, Kmart, Sears, and more. And retails for $34.99.

Visit Pop on Pals and check out the different pals and vehicles to go with the play set. And there's even a coloring section where you can download and print the picture or let your little color it online!

I received this play set to review from TeamMom, but all of the opinions are my own!

Have you Lost Your "Muchness"?

2010-07-26T14:41:00.001-04:00

There are times that I find myself wondering what my passion is. What tugs hard at my heartstrings and what seems impossible without God? And where did it go? Have you ever felt that way? This past Sunday I heard a phenomenal sermon based on the Movie , "Alice in Wonderland". I just had to share with my readers. Feel free to go here and download file and listen at your leisure. On the top right corner of the page is a pull down menu. Choose the one that says "Alice in Wonderland".

Pear Tree Greetings - Personlized Note Cards Giveaway

2010-07-16T13:30:00.002-04:00

Have you ever received a hand-written note from someone that you saved, because it meant so much to you? That you pull out every now and again, because it brings a smile to your face. Or, is there someone you feel that could really use a note from you right now? A friend that’s going through a rough time in a relationship, letting her know you’re there for her. Your mom, just an out of the blue card telling her how much she means to you. Your husband, thanking him for supporting you, loving you, and being the husband that he is. A blogger friend that you’ve maybe never met in person but just want to tell them how much their friendship means to you. There is a special power of a hand-written, personalized note card. Not only does it mean so much to the recipient, it’s an amazing feeling when you drop that card in the mail.

In honor of these special moments, Pear Tree Greetings is giving one of you a free set of personalized note cards (up to 16 cards) from their new collection.

Who is Pear Tree Greetings? Pear Tree Greetings is a fun, fresh and affordable personalized stationery company that offers Birth Announcements, Moving Announcements, Photo Cards,
Baby Shower Thank You Cards and more, all on 100 lb matte card stock and truly affordable prices!

I love the Note cards. It's so hard to choose a favorite. So I thought I'd show you several that I have fallen in love with.

To enter go to Pear Tree Greetings and take a look around. Tell me what your favorite design of the Personalized Note Cards is. For more entries you can do the following:

Like Three Peas in a Pod on Facebook
Send a handwritten note to a friend today
Follow me on Twitter
Like Pear Tree Greetings on Facebook
Smile!!
Tweet this giveaway. You can use the following:

Enter to win a set of @PearTreeGrtngs personalized note cards! #GIVEAWAY from @3PsPod http://bit.ly/9Wy9BA

This giveaway is open to US residents only and will end on July 24 at 11:59pm.

Share the Table with Barilla

2010-07-14T15:58:00.020-04:00

This family loves their pasta!! If we could eat it everyday and not gain any weight we would. Love the stuff. My husband and I love trying out new recipes for dressing up our noodles. And I wanted to share one that is a big hit at our house.

Ziti alla Pastora

Ingredients

1 Box BARILLA Ziti

1/2 pound fresh pork sausage (crumbled)

1/4 cup water

1/2 pound fresh Ricotta Cheese

1tbs Red Chili flakes

Salt and Pepper to Taste

1 bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped

1/2 cup Pecorino Romano, freshly grated

Cooking Instructions

PLACE

BRING

COOK

PLACE

DRAIN

ADD

TOP

Barilla Pasta is awesome. I try to get the whole wheat ones but there are days where I just want the regular ones. I tried the Barilla tomato sauce the other day. YUMMM!!! I love that it tasted awesome and I didn't have to to tweak it to make it taste better. It perfect the way it was. And when you have kids , it makes cooking dinner a lot faster .

Barilla knows how important family meal time can be. Visit www.barillaus.com and get tips on how to help you and your family enjoy your time at the table together. Check out the awesome recipes enter in contests and is even a fun project for your little ones!

Hope you enjoy the recipe!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Barilla and received products necessary to facilitate my candid review.”

Tutorial: Reusable Swiffer WetJet Pads

2010-07-09T16:58:00.004-04:00

I love my Swiffer Wet Jet. But I hate having to buy all those pads that you throw away. I think there are only 7 in a box. And it doesn't go far. Not to mention they cost a lot. So I got busy thinking of ways to improvise. First, I used an old washcloth and rubber bands to hold it on. Didn't work too well and the rubber bands kept breaking.

Then I tried just using the stick on hook and loop tape on an old washcloth but that didn't work well either. Not to mention it was very floppy. The minute the Velcro got wet it fell off. And with only one layer of terry it wasn't proving to be as absorbent as I liked. So I set about trying to figure out how to make it better. Granted there are many ways to do this and many tutorials out there. But I figured I'd share what I learned.

What you need:

2 pieces of terry cloth which are approximately 12 " x 6"

2 strips of the soft side of the hook and loop (the kind you sew in) that are about

10"in length

Sewing machine, thread, scissors, and if you anything like me a seam

ripper will come in handy too.

I'm just say'n

By the way . . . .

Please excuse the nasty cutting mat. I need a new one really bad.

If you don't have any terry cloth on hand just do what I did. I used an old towel and cut it up.

Don't worry I saved this little guy. I think I'm going to use him on a pocket on another project. He's cute isn't he?

Now make sure that you don't use towels that are uber thick and fluffy. They might be pretty and extra absorbent. But once you add both layers it will be too thick to sew through. I tried it once. It didn't work. I tried sewing Velcro to it and it was so thick it wouldn't go through my machine so I chucked it and used hot glue to fasten the fuzzy Velcro to it.

Don't do that.

One wash and the tape is off. Not a good idea!

Now take your two pieces of terry cloth and line them up together. There is no right side or wrong side with terry. Pin the pieces together like so.

Because I'm using white terry cloth, I like to use a bright thread so I can see the stitches and make sure I'm not going off on a tangent . I tend to get lost in thought and forget I'm supposed to be sewing a straight line sometimes. Hence the seam ripper. My friend Kelly can attest to that.

Of course if you are one of those perfect sewers, by all means use a white thread. We imperfect seamstresses will hate you but life goes on, right?

Back to the tutorial.

Start on a long side near the bottom and sew a 1/2" seam around your terry cloth. Leave a 4" opening for turning.

Forgive me, the picture really was right side up when I saved it after editing. For some reason blogger is playing games with my photos.

Not funny.

If anyone knows how to fix it in CSS let me know.

Wow I'm all over the page today.

Focus Tiff Focus

Now it's time to trim your corners and sides to reduce the bulk. I trimmed mine so that there was a 1/4 seam.

Like so.

Now is the time to turn that sucker right side out. Make sure you poke those corners out. You can use your fingers or you can be fancy like me and use a metal skewer to poke those corners out. But be very careful not to poke through your corners.

Nextly, (See Lolly, your rubbing off on me) fold in the ends of your 4" opening. You can use an iron and steam it shut but I haven't had good luck with that. I'd rather pin it shut. Top stitch all the way around. Now I did a smaller top stitch on mine but I think that doing it 1/4 - 1/2" is better.

Take those fuzzy sew on hook and loop pieces and space them evenly on your pad. Pin them to your top layer of terry. Trying to pin them through both layers resulted in lots of bent pins.

Now set your sewdin misheen (as Little Monkey calls it) to the zig zag stitch. I tried using just a straight stitch but it didn't keep the Velcro as secure as I'd like. Sew down the middle of each piece of hook and loop tape. I back tacked both ends to make sure those suckers wouldn't come off. Whether or not it's the correct thing to do using a zig zag stitch is something I'd like to know but it works.

And Voila!!!!

And there ya go! You are ready to make an arsenal for recycled reusable swiffer wet jet pads. Make a few and place it in a bucket with some cleaning supplies and give it to a new home owner as a gift or that student who's moving to their first apartment.

Jumpstart is Getting Kids Moving!!

2010-07-09T16:25:00.002-04:00

I am a HUGE fan of JumpStart games. Ever since my oldest (who is now 14) was a girl and began using the computer games for her grade and age group. JumpStart has gone from computer games to a whole website dedicated to the JumpStart world to the Wii.

We have been privileged to own some of the games for the Wii and the kids have loved playing each game and learning knew skills. Just recently they have come out with an awesome new Wii game called JumpStart Get Moving Family Fitness!

For years, JumpStart has been creating the best learning games for kids. Now, with Get Moving Family Fitness, JumpStart is making fitness fun too! Discover the ultimate family sports game with fitness expert and mom of 4, Brooke Burke. With more than 15 sports challenges in 11 exotic arenas, Get Moving is the fun, new way to keep your family active!

Key Features

Design your own character to race and play.
Build customized routines for extra challenge.
Compete head to head or play solo.
Play underwater, on a farm, in Egypt or 8 other exotic locations.

We all tried out each of the games and each child had a favorite. Little Monkey was the balancing, Tiger was the racing, Baby Girl was Volleyball, and Baseball. Personally, mine was the Basketball. It was fun to watch the younger ones get the hang of each game and their progress. Each of them is getting better and better with practice.

What made it a favorite in our family was the time we spent encouraging each other and playing together. It truly will get your family together and get them moving!

I have one copy of JumpStart's Get Moving Family Fitness to giveaway, thanks to the folks at Jumpstart. All you need to do is tell me what do you as a family do to get moving?

Want extra entries? Here's How:

"Like" JumpStart on Facebook
"Like" Three Peas in a Pod on Facebook
Dance with your kids this afternoon
Follow me on Google Friend Connect
Do one "chore" for your significant other so they don't have to today

Leave me a comment for each item accomplished. This is open to the US and a winner will be picked on July 19th.

I received a free copy of JumpStart Get Moving Family Fitness from JumpStart in order to facilitate my review

The Eyes Have It

2010-07-07T13:58:00.001-04:00

A few days ago I got my yearly reminder from my eye doctor saying it was time to check my peepers. I don't mind going to the eye doctor. In fact, he's awesome. Always making sure that I take care of my eyes as I have a degenerative issue going on. But one thing that I hate about the whole thing is picking out my eyeglasses.

Sure I can keep the frames I have, but most of the time by the end of that year they have taken about as much abuse as they can stand. That's what happens when you have three kids and two dogs. My prescription glasses get bent, sat on, chewed on, dropped in the toilet, and sometimes used to play doctor or "mommy". It's usually time to get new ones.

Every time I check out the frames I'm not necessarily overwhelmed by the choices of frames but the price and the lack of style. Last year when I picked out my glasses at the Ophthalmologist's office, the only style were the rectangle ones in different colors. I really didn't have much choice other than color and weight.

This year I'm going to find my glasses online. I'm sure I can find high quality glasses at a price that is more reasonable. And since my prescription requires them to be sent away to be fitted with the lenses anyways it's going to take just as long to get them back. So why not?

Now that I have made that decision all I have to decide is whether or not to get transition lenses. Decisions Decisions.

Get 10% off your next purchase! Use the code mommy10 when prompted during your next purchase of prescription glasses.

Despicable Me

2010-07-06T20:49:00.064-04:00

In a happy suburban neighborhood surrounded by white picket fences with flowering rose bushes, sits a black house with a dead lawn. Unbeknownst to the neighbors, hidden deep beneath this home is a vast secret hideout. Surrounded by an army of tireless, little yellow minions, we discover Gru (Steve Carell), planning the biggest heist in the history of the world. He is going to steal the moon (Yes, the moon!) in Universal’s new 3-D CGI feature, Despicable Me.

Gru delights in all things wicked. Armed with his arsenal of shrink rays, freeze rays and battle-ready vehicles for land and air, he vanquishes all who stand in his way. Until the day he encounters the immense will of three little orphaned girls who look at him and see something that no one else has ever seen: a potential Dad.

One of the world’s greatest super-villains has just met his greatest challenge: three little girls named Margo, Edith and Agnes.

My family and I got to see it a few weeks ago and loved it! It just so happened this was my boy's first trip to the movie theater. They are both too light (they are small for their age) to actually keep the seats from coming back up. But they insisted on sitting in the seats with their legs in the air. If I had been allowed I would have taken a picture.

The movie is in 3D but of course you can watch it without the glasses, which is what my boys did. They were mesmerized by the Minions which were the biggest hit in our family. We still talk about them and the boys imitate them all the time. The movie stars Steve Carrell who did a fabulous job. I won't tell you my favorite parts since it will give away the movie. But trust me it was a must see!!!

I was surprised to find out that Julie Andrews and Miranda Cosgrove were in this movie as well. As a whole this movie was light hearted and funny. It's a movie the whole family would enjoy.

I have a Movie Prize Pack to give away to two lucky readers. Which includes:

Hat
Moo-Can (it really moos!)
Pencil with Minion Topper
Balloon
Minion Ink Stamp

All you need to do is tell me what your favorite family movie is. For more entries you can do the following:

Read to your kids tonight
"Like" me on Facebook
"Like" Despicable Me on Facebook
Watch the trailer and tell me what your favorite scene is.

I will choose two winners on July 14th via a random number generator.

Autisticly Speaking: In Case of an Emergency

2010-07-02T13:25:00.001-04:00

When you have a child with autism you usually have certain caregivers that you know and trust to care for them. People that either have these type of children of there own or know their coping mechanisms and idiosyncrasies.

Having those types of caregivers makes leaving your child much easier. You know their routine will not be changed save for who is taking care of them. You know that if your child were to feel overwhelmed and begin to have issues that your caregiver knows how to calm them down. It's a peace of mind and these people are your ticket to sanity if you need some time away from home or to go to an appointment or just get some errands done.

But there are times where those people may not be available. It could be a family emergency or an emergency meeting. The one person who is available is not familiar with autism or how your child's mind works. As parent of a child with Autism, I know too well what happens when routines change, and different people care for my child what happens to them emotionally when there world is disrupted. Even if it's for an hour.

To ease the stress on you, the caregiver, and your child leave a list of "what to do when this happens". Print it out and have it laminated. Include things such as clothing preference, food preference, are they verbal, partially verbal, or non verbal, routines, and instructions on what works to calm them down when they feel overwhelmed. Is your child a sensory seeker or a sensory avoider? Do they feel pain when touched or are they hyper ticklish? All of this information is a lot but in the end you will feel confident that your child is in good hands even when your usually sitters are not available.

Keep one list at home, one in your car, and a smaller version in your purse. The smaller version, could be made with card stock and a book binding ring so that it's small and is not cumbersome in your purse. Make some copies for new doctors to place in the front of their chart. So the first they see is how to handle their patient. Each child is different and handle new situations in there own unique way. It's an easy way to ease the stress of a new situation for your child and your new medical provider will be informed up front how he can handle his new patient.

Use a list in your child's hospital room if , God forbid they need hospitalization. Most rooms have a dry erase board with the nurses name on it. Tape up your list so they can have the information.There's a new nurse and tech ever shift and this will make them aware of how to help your child stay calm and their stay as pleasant as possible.

I'm hoping this tip was helpful to you. In the next coming weeks I'm going to work on making the small version of this list for your purse. I might even do a tutorial and a free download If you'd like. Let me know! I'd be glad to share.

Alternative ABC's

2010-06-30T15:11:00.000-04:00

I received this book, Alternative ABC's which is published by Ammo Books. This board book features original, colorful, and graphic illustrations and typography by Southern California based designers Eric Ruffing and Dave Parmley of 13THFLOOR. It's not your normal ABC book with all the animals, food, and cute pictures.

In this humorous and hipster take on a traditional ABC board book for kids, the alphabet here reads: F is for Flames, M is for Mohawk, P is for Peace, and S is for Skull. This is the board book that Soccer Moms run from and Rocker Moms gravitate to. Obviously it doesn't appeal to everyone. But it sure makes a fun and different way to introduce your child to the fundamentals.

Aesthetically borrowing from street, surf, skate, and music subcultures, the custom design and typography beautifully spell out this unique alphabet. From Calligraffiti to Pin-Striping, and from Goth to Punk, this little book crosses genres and is sure to create a buzz.

My boys thought it was cool and even my 14 yr old daughter enjoyed the book.The graphics are totally awesome. I'm no rocker mom but I did enjoy this new take on an old favorite.