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Last night we went to a Drive-In Movie Theater with some friends and had a blast. I grew up on Drive-In Movies and was so excited when I found one in our area (have to drive about 30 minutes but so worth it). The LORAX was playing and so we made it happen. What a BIG DIFFERENCE in cost though- for myself and 2 kids it was $9.00 total to get in. We brought our own dinner (Subway) and bought snacks there but to save money BRING YOUR OWN EVERYTHING! The volume comes through a radio station so no more of those boxes we had to put on our windows back in the day. I recommend pillows and blankets too! We saw people BBQ'ing and just having a good time. So check if you have a Drive In near you and I highly recommend going and having a AWESOME FAMILY NIGHT for little money!
Making carbonated water and soft drinks is simple! Turn tap water into sparkling water in under 30 seconds, with no clean-up. Enjoy the freshness and convenience of homemade soda and protect the environment at the same time. No heavy bottles to carry, store at home or throw away. Fizz to your taste and add the flavor of your choice to make your favorite drink. Simple to clean and reuse. With a variety of colors and silhouettes, you'll be sure to find a soda maker to match with any decor. SodaStream is an "Active Green" product, meaning that consumers are actively reducing their CO2 footprint every time they make soda or sparkling water at home instead of buying it from the store. The more the system is used on a daily basis, the more CO2 footprint the user actively saves. Using your own soda make means:
Less packaging waste from cans and bottles.
Less pollution caused by transport of bottled beverages.
One SodaStream carbonator makes 60 or 110 liters, equivalent to 170 or 310 aluminum cans! When empty, the carbonator is refilled and reused, ready to make more fizzy and tasty soda whenever you want it. ; Review by Mom Does Reviews: I was so excited to receive my Soda Stream in the mail. But, I think my son was even more excited! He carried one of the heavy boxes up 2 flights of stairs to open it. ( He's only 9, and most of the time complains about carrying groceries up the stairs.) I was very impressed with the packing of the Soda Stream. Everything was secure and protected, nothing could get broken in shipping. I unpacked both boxes and I must admit, I was a little overwhelmed at first. It seemed like there were so many pieces to assemble. Here is what came in my two boxes: Normally I let my husband assemble things, but I wanted to put it together on my own. If I can put it together, anyone can! The instruction booklet was very thick, that made me nervous at first, until I realized it was in 10 languages. The only pages that applied were the first two. Soda Stream makes it easy for anyone to put it together. It has step by step directions with pictures and with text. If I questioned myself just by looking at the pictures, I read to text too, just to be safe. So, after all my nervousness, it only took my 5 minutes to put it together. The carbonator had to be screwed in just right and the two main pieces put together. That was about it for assembly! The fun part is making your own soda. The special liter bottles that come with the soda stream need to be filled with tap water to the fill line. You place the bottle under the carbonator and screw it in place. Then you press the button 3 times for average amount of fizz. I wasn't sure if I had done it quite right, so I pushed the carbonator button about 5 times for our first liter of homemade soda. Needless to say, our Black Currant/pear soda was extra fizzy. But it was delicious! Remember to put the in flavoring after you carbonate the water. Pour it in slowly with the bottle tilted and shake slightly. Pour your homemade soda over ice and enjoy! My son got creative with his flavor. He mixed half Cola and half Cranberry/Raspberry. I liked his "Berry Coke" better than my Black Currant/pear soda. Kids are smart and they know what they like. He loved it! Overall, I would highly recommend The Soda Stream to anyone who is interested in making their own soda. Other than the great taste, it has many more benefits. It saves on buying soda at the store. It saves your back, no more lugging soda from the grocery store, to the car, to the pantry. It is so convenient, no need to go to the store to buy soda, you can make your own! It helps out environment: think of all those 2-liter bottles that aren't being thrown away! It has a third of the calories compared to regular Pepsi or Coke, for example:
Calories
Carbs
Sugar
Sodium
Caffeine
Pepsi®
100
27g
27g
25mg
25mg
Coca-Cola®
100
27g
27g
35mg
23mg
SodaStream Cola
34
9g
9g
2mg
15mg
7-UP®
100
26g
26g
50mg
0mg
Sprite®
100
26g
26g
45mg
0mg
SodaStream Lemon Lime
36
9g
9g
25mg
0mg
All SodaStream regular sodamix uses a mixture of Splenda® and sugar. Diet flavors are sugar-free, sweetened with Splenda® brand sweetener. Comparison is based on 8 fl. oz. serving size (0.34 fl. oz. of SodaStream sodamix per 8 fl. oz. of water).
A HUGE thank you to Soda Stream for donating this great package for one lucky winner! Giveaway package is a Fountain Jet Soda Lover's Start-Up Kit ($99.95) http://www.sodastreamusa.com/Fountain-Jet-Soda-Starter-Kit-P184.aspx. It includes: - Fountain Jet – winner’s choice of color (black/silver, red/silver or white) - 1 carbonating bottle, reusable for up to 3 years - Reusable carbonator to fizz up to 60L of soda - Variety 6-pack of popular sample-size flavors - 3 full-sized flavors of the winner’s choice
Giveaway open to US only. Giveaway ends 3/24 1201am. Please enter on the Rafflecopter below!Special thanks to the following blogs for helping me with this great giveaway:
Who could use some PERSONALIZED CUSTOM STICKERS?? I know I could use them to advertise my blog, my hubby's airbrush business, stickers for the kids clothing/toys, household organization, or whatever else I might want to personalize. PrintRunner.com was established with little more than a small press and a dream. Ten years later the company became one of the foremost quality printers in Southern California. Their commitment to provide the best value and high quality full color printing at affordable price made the company grow. PrintRunner is a full service high quality printing company located in Chatsworth, California.
One lucky PinkMama's Place reader will win 250 custom stickers that you can personalize however you like from PrintRunner.
Details of the giveaway prize: Stickers
Sticker Shape : Standard Stickers
Flat Width : 2"
Flat Height : 3.5"
Quantity : 250
Paper : Premium Sticker Stock
Colors : Full Color ( 4 Color Process), Black and White
Proof : NONE
Ready to Ship In : 3 Business Days
PrintRunner is your convenient online printing resource. Check out their custom sticker printing services Giveaway ENDS 3/12/12 Thank you to PrintRunner for sponsoring this giveaway, I will receive a set of stickers for hosting this giveaway.
The first "Inside the Crayon Box" live chat is Wednesday, March 7 at 9 p.m. EST. Join Crayola and musician, children´s author and mom, Lisa Loeb for a 45-minute live streaming video chat on the Crayola Facebook Page. Lisa, best-known for her number one hit "Stay (I Missed You)," will share as personal stories, practical advice and ways she brings a little creative play into every day for her daughter. We want to hear from you - participants can ask Lisa questions during the event, too! We hope you will share the information about the first Crayola "Inside the Crayon" live chat with your readers on or before Wednesday, March 7th so they may plan to attend as well.
Interested in the topics to be covered during the chat?
Why Does Creativity Matter? Creativity is not about who´s the best artists or becoming an architect. It´s a way of thinking that encourages kids´ original ideas and develops their confidence.
Growing Up Creative. Lisa will share stories about growing up in a home where creativity was encouraged.
Simple Tips. Easy Ideas. Like most moms, Lisa juggles a lot. She´ll share simple, easy ways she sparks her daughter´s creativity as part of their daily routine.
Also, be sure to check out Lisa’s bookLisa Loeb’s Silly Sing-Along: The Disappointing Pancake and Other Zany Songs(Sterling Children’s Books, 2011) available atBarnes & NobleandAmazon.com. Sing, laugh, and play with pop Lisa in this fabulous collection of ten of the silliest songs ever. Fun activities, games, and recipes accompany whimsical songs. Take Lisa'sSilly Sing-Alongwith you wherever you go and get the high-spirited good times started. Includes a 10-song CD recorded by Lisa!
If you miss it you can see it check out the Crayola YouTube Channel where the session will be posted.
To learn more about the tools from Crayola that make it easy for parents to help children develop their creativity www.Crayola.com.
I received this information by Crayola through MyBlogSpark.
"Creativity Matters"
They make wonderfully cozy comforters, pillows, and featherbeds, in their own factory in Maine. Check out the bath category for amazing towels, sleepwear section for super soft pjs, and new gift & decor area.
They have fantastic prices and you can get an immediate $5 in bucks to use toward purchases. Their rewards program is different because there are so many ways to get Social Bucks and we each can earn Social Bucks whenever someone in our network buys something. Shipping is FREE for all orders shipped in the continental US to those members of the Friends and Family Rewards Network.
Start earning SOCIAL BUCKS HERE. I got a SOCIAL BUCK byLIKINGa page!
Whether your child is going through standardized school testing or taking exams and tests for classes, this time of year can be stressful for everyone. Lighten the mood with these products! Personalize a notebook with one of 24 designs and your own text to fit your child’s style. A lucky pen will help remind any kid that his parents believe in him! With over 100 designs to choose from, you’re sure to make the perfect gift certificate for any situation. Choose from more than 800 designs and create a set of funny, sentimental, or just plain encouraging note cards. Then, add your own personal note to sneak into your child’s backpack for surprise encouragement. The products are FREE just pay shipping and processing.
I love Contest Chest! I enter a lot of giveaways on their site plus whenever I have a giveaway going on I submit it! It's a win win site for me!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Well I have spent many hours (ok days/months) on my favorite site Pinterest. So NOW WHAT...I have many pins and boards full of awesome info/pics but what the heck am I going to do with them. I guess I could actually TRY some of the ideas/how to's/recipes! What a concept , huh!
This weekend I did try a AMAZING CLEANING TIP from Life, Crafts and Whatever and OMG it worked. She tells us how Dawn + Vinegar = Soap Scum KILLAII tried it but I do have to admit I didn't have BLUE Dawn Soap but it was GREEN and it worked lovely! My hubby was impressed when I showed him. The only thing that bothered me was the vinegar smell but it went away after couple hours or it could have been the candle I placed in the bathroom too!
How do you USE PINTEREST????
If you need a need a invite- email me at pamallen68@gmail.com and I will send you one :)
Or maybe it is just my dream! Every so often my family goes out of town to visit my hubby's family- darn I have to work so I have to stay behind. This weekend they left me and to be honest I couldn't get them out the door soon enough. I know a bit mean but I had a migraine and I needed quiet.
Last night was awesome- I sat in pure quiet for hours (no TV, no music-NOTHING) just relaxing and trying to get rid of the headache. It felt great. Then at night I was able to watch all my goofy shows that no one likes and NO INTERRUPTIONS. Usually at night the "Mom Referee" has to emerge to stop the fighting over toys, books, and the TV! I didn't have to yell (lol) or roll my eyes or send someone to their room for hitting! It felt good almost like a detox of some sort.
Today I got up and was able to get to work on time with little effort. Usually I have to fight to get out the door with one kid attached to one leg and the other asking if he can play video games at 7:30 in the morning. I went to work and had a great day. Then the best part was walking into the house that was CLEAN and I didn't have to hear " Sahara did this....." or "Ronnell called me a ......" it was pure quiet! Did I say clean house...YES! The vacuum lines are still showing- I love vacuum lines (I know a bit weird).
Tonight I plan to read my book I bought a couple weeks ago and watch a movie I want to watch- what more could I ask for!!! Loving my peace and quiet for these 2 days but to be honest that is all about I could handle. I need my hugs, kisses, and loves from my family so I do miss that! But don't get me wrong you know I'm going to enjoy every minute.
My daughter and I really enjoyed this APP for iPad a lot. The story was very colorful plus interactive. I love that it asked questions on each page that made my daughter think! Plus the questions asked them to count or find certain objects, letting them get involved with the story. My daughter can read but she also enjoyed when the book was narrated by a beautiful voice. I think she has read or listened to this app everyday. But the best part was the CAKE GAME (according to lil Mama)! My daughter spent some time making beautiful cakes and silly cakes. She made a cake for me and sent it by email when I was at work, that made my day! She plans to make a cake for everyone this year on their birthday.
If you are interested in getting this App CLICK HERE your little one will LOVE IT!
Interested more of their stories, artwork and videos then VISIT THEIR WEBSITE
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
Search: I can do a search on the Internet and find recipes I want and click CAPTURE and there it is in Favorite Recipe or my Go To Cookbooks! You can name your own cookbooks. Plus I can input the ingredients I have in the house and it will bring up all recipes for those ingredients- how cool!
Organize: This is the coolest part! If you are like me you have recipes in the kitchen, on the desk, in a file folder, saved somewhere on the computer but can you find "that" recipe when you need it? Not me! This program saves everything in one place. You can organize by different cookbooks. Right now I have Pam's Fav's and Pam's To Go cookbooks. But I do plan to add more. I love this program!
Edit: Let's say I need to double a recipe or triple (bake sale stuff) so I pull up the recipe and add how many people this needs to serve and guess what...it does all the math for you!
Menu: Plan ahead- what is that? Well I can do it now with hardly any thinking. It allows you do it weekly, monthly,and 3 months. I'm going to really enjoy this feature this week since it's shopping week.
Shopping list: This is probalbly my favorite part- it creates a shopping list for each recipe. I can print the list or save on the computer and send right to my phone. Plus it gives you all the nutritional info too and now that I'm eating healthier this is very important.
Manually Add Recipe: I have some recipes that go way back and are on index cards and now I can input them on this program and this helps me by keeping ALL recipes in one spot!
Print: You can print out recipes, menu plans, and cookbooks. ****************************************************************
Overall this is a WONDERFUL program that I think every household should have! It also has tons of recipes already in the program plus they have over 100 cookbooks to buy! I have used it every day that I have cooked.
If you want to learn more please watch this video:
I received this product mentioned above for free. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
Each participating blogger is hosting their own giveaway, with prizes worth at least $20. Be sure to hop through the list below and visit them all to enter to win!
Omg this has been a DREAM of mine and I now have it- ALL MY RECIPES in one spot. I'm going to write up a longer review this weekend but I'm telling you, this is something everyone needs!
LOVE IT BECAUSE:
I can save any recipe from the Internet
It will make a grocery list for me from any recipe
I can input how many people are eating and it will do the math for me
It will sync to my android (also iPhone) so I have list when I go shopping
Also sync to my iPad so I can have the recipe right there in the kitchen
Today I was reading "Fit Mom's For Life" book by Dustin Maher http://fitmomsforlife.com/ while outside in the sun and it just felt RIGHT! I started a Weight Loss Challenge a couple weeks ago and the 1st week was GREAT then the 2nd week well I fell off! I don't want to give up though! So I got the book and read 2 chapters, my goal is to read 2 chapters a day and then blog about it.
What struck me the most is if I'm not in the right mind set then this isn't going to work. I need to WANT this not because I want to loose weight but because I want to change my life. Change is scary for me sometimes but I need to overcome that and look forward to what this challenge can really do for me in the long run.
Dustin writes about a 10 Year Plan- create a vision with my current negative behavior. I took some time thinking what would my life be like in 10 years if I continue doing what I'm doing and this is what I came up with:
Fatter
Death knocking on my door
Always in bed
Grumpy with everyone
Unhappy
Wow- really and that is the Truth! So then I took a deep breath and imagined what I WANT from my life in 10 years
Healthier
Happy
Wearing clothes that I love
Being outside more
In love with life
Traveling more
Owning my own business with husband
What a big difference and I won't get to where I WANT to be by doing what I'm doing now so YES I'm ready for change and I'm willing to work towards it.
I'm going to be HONEST...I'm not sure if I was in the right Mind Frame when I started this challenge. The book came a day before I started the challenge and yes I had looked at the eBook but did I actually READ it- NO! I knew I needed to loose weight but was I really ready?
Yes, I changed my eating habits and have stayed within the healthy limits about 80% of the time. I'm still not doing any goodies but I did have a soda the other day- husband brought it home for me. Bless his heart he didn't know what to get me with my tuna on wheat sandwich. Anyways, I been eating breakfast and sometimes drinking the water- kind of dropped off on that but I do drink water daily- that wasn't happening before.
Now the exercise- boy do I find all the excuses in the world not to this! I don't understand either because I felt awesome after I exercised. But life has been a bit stressful/depressing lately so I've been using that as my excuse.
I've been carrying "Fit Moms for Life" around the house with me but I haven't out right read it so my GOAL this week (starting today LOL) is to read 2 chapters a day.
Today I read 2 SUPERB Chapters that did that slap upside my head that I needed! So my goal tomorrow is start fresh and not look back on what I haven't been doing- move forward!
The Women's Original apron from Flirty Aprons is a feminine, yet durable apron that you will enjoy over and over again. The double-layer thickness protects from spills and messes, and the apron comes in many different patterns and colors. The Original apron has long ties so you can tie it in the back or front, and it is made to fit women of all sizes. Sassy, fun, cute and even sexy
My Review
I was so excited when my package arrived from Flirty Aprons. While I'm not much of an apron-wearer, I sure need one. I am a messy cook and could use some splatter protection and fun in the kitchen. Since the word Apron makes me feel like I'm a kitchen mom, I like to call it my fabulous kitchen accessory, or FKA for short. My Pink Chocolate FKA arrived and I put it to use the same day. My husband thought I looked cute. My son couldn't wait to have his little girlfriends over so they could try it on. (Now that he's nine, he's too cool to wear girly stuff so I couldn't get him to even try it.) I love the pockets and frilly, girly pattern. It makes cooking fun!
My Pink Chocolate FKA (Fabulous Kitchen Accessory) is:
The only thing I didn't care for was the tie at the neck. I would have loved to be able to just slip it over my head and go. But, I can leave it tied all the time, so it's really not an issue.
The Giveaway:
One lucky winner will get to choose a FKA ($35 value) of their own! You can pick from: Pink Chocolate, Blue Chocolate, Frosted Cupcake, Chic Pink, or Scarlet Blossom apron.
Giveaway is open to US residents only. Giveaway starts at 9pm 2/14.
Enter on the easy Rafflecopter below. Only 13 Mandatory Entries. Lots more optional entries. Please try to follow us with Linky Follows, as it is a new tool to replace GFC.
Thanks and good luck!
Okay so I came across a cool post today- How to add Pinterest to your Facebook Fan Page! Woohoo-plus it's FREE! I love PINTEREST and if my fans can enjoy my pins right from my page than a big double WOOHOO! Oh guess what I don't have to leave FB now to look at Pinterest- I just click on my Facebook page and look around from there! Loving this!
It's Not Right but It's Okay Whitney~ We understand this was not your fault!
I was in shock yesterday when I opened my Facebook page at 4pm on Sat Feb 11th to see yet another SUPERSTAR died. They were sure quiet about WHY/HOW but I think we all knew why! Hopefully, when the ME reports come back it will tell us something else besides drugs. I'm not going to talk bad or look down on her because I think we all take a wrong road in our lives and some just get plain LOST! My heart goes out to her family and to everyone who loves this special woman!
Today I weighed myself and guess what I LOST 3 lbs (in 10 days) and I like that! I feel so much better and turning down treats isn't bothering me anymore. Water is still my #1 DRINK- no sodas and only 2 cups of coffee- compared to 4-5 cups. I might not be the mommy blogger with the highest in points but I am trying and not giving up!
I didn't exercise today because I work from 7am- 3pm and I'm on my feet pretty much that whole time running back and forth so my ole body is TIRED when I get home.
Also I found out today it is totally hard to work at yummy breakfast cafe while on a diet. Oh my did I want some blueberry pancakes and some bacon. I had oatmeal for breakfast and sliced chicken-black beans-corn tortillas for lunch. I felt very proud turning down the pastries that co-workers wanted to share with me. I feel so good and I'm sure the exercise, change in food habits, and drinking the H20 has a lot to do with it!
I really appreciate all the support from all the other mom's in this life changing opportunity.
Plus I'm reading Dustin Maher "Fit Moms for Life" book and I'm learning so much. I'll be posting a review/giveaway NEXT WEEK! If your interested in weight loss you will need to read this book. It has given me such a different out look on how to go about it. I loved reading about other MOMS who did the program.
Also you can follow us on the #21MBC hashtag on twitter
Please visit www.mommybloggerweightlosschallenge.com- if you are interested in JOINING March's Mommy Blogger Weight Loss Challenge- email me (pamallen68@gmail.com) and I can send you info.
This show has me in TEARS when I watch- tears of joy though! The VOICES are just amazing and so is their stories on how they got there! I love the fact the judges can't see what they look like until they turn around or hit the buzzer to be on their TEAM. Then the contestants get to pick from who buzzed what team they want to be on. Such a feel good show! Next Monday is Blind Audition #3 so I will have my DVR set (hubby doesn't like shows like that.).
Today I did the Wii Fit- 45 minutes! Dustin's workout is AWESOME but I can't do that everyday. I haven't been on the Wii Fit for about 2 years- lovely huh! So it told me I gained 31 lbs and my Wii age is 59- WOW really Pam!
I forgot how much I enjoy the Wii Fit. I first did the strength training then aerobics (love hula hoop) and finished off with yoga. Some of the strength exercises I did very well in but aerobics I sucked! I just need to get into that routine again.
Water is my #1 drink of choice these days. Hubby just called and asked if I wanted McD's for lunch- Really? I said no thank you and my Lean Cuisine pasta will do me just fine today. I did forget breakfast today though. Had some cleaning to do plus some computer work so went right back into my regular routine but I won't let that happen tomorrow!
I'm still at no GOODIES- which let me tell you is hard but I feel good about it. Last night Hubby made cookies and brought them into the bedroom then asked if I wanted one. I shook my head- no thank you and gave that WTF look. He said he was sorry, sat right down and ate 6 cookies.
My kids are my biggest cheerleaders!
Tonight's dinner is fish, red potatoes and salad.
Read more about this challenge at : http://mommybloggerweightlosschallenge.com/ Dustin Maher is the sponsor for this wonderful workout, book, meal plan I was offered to be part of this challenge.
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