Sweet Moments® - Review and Giveaway

Sometimes we all just need a moment, right?  A moment to sit back, relax and enjoy a little something that sweetens the day.  Hmmm...chocolaty sweetness.  I definitely have a sweet tooth, so I was more than content to pick up two free bags of Pillsbury^® Sweet Moments^® .  I was disappointed to find that they were sold out of most of the available flavors at the store where I did my shopping!  These sweet little pieces of brownie goodness must be good!  I ended up getting Cocoa Carmel Obsession (which I would have chosen anyway) and settled on Cocoa Fudge Chip for my second bag.  The other available varieties are Cocoa Fudge Escape, Sweet Moments® Caramel Cheesecake, and Sweet Moments® Raspberry Cheesecake.  I would love to try the Caramel Cheesecake ones next.  I'm a sucker for a chocolate and carmel combination!

Sweet Moments® are marketed as bite-sized brownies. I would describe them as a truffle, of sorts.  Call them what you will, but I call them delicious!  If you plan on sharing, you better get more than one bag!  The Cocoa Carmel Obsession were awesome.  Those were gone in two days.  The Cocoa Fudge Chip were just okay for me.  They seemed a bit more dry, whereas the caramel one was very moist.  I have to be honest, I probably won't buy these very often.  The only reason being that these are one of those treats that I would indulge in rather than "eat in moderation".  By indulge, I mean eat the whole bag and regret it in the morning! 

You can visit Pillsbury^® Sweet Moments^® for a sweet $1off coupon if you are ready to indulge!  Or, you can indulge for free by entering this giveaway!  Enter here for a chance to win your own Pillsbury^® Sweet Moments^® prize pack including:

• 2 VIP coupons for the free purchase of any Pillsbury^® Sweet Moments^® variety
• Leather journal
• Fleece blanket
• Coffee Mug

How To Enter:

1. Mandatory - Follow Jessica, The Mom via GFC and comment on this post, and tell me what your everyday "sweet moment" is.  (One entry.)

Additional entries:

1. "Like" Jessica, The Mom on Facebook.  Be sure to comment here with your facebook name for your entry to count. 
2. "Like" Pillsbury^®'s Facebook Page and thank them for the giveaway, tagging Jessica, The Mom.  Be sure to comment here with your facebook name for your entry to count.
3. Tweet this post.  Be sure to comment here that you did for your entry to count. (Can be done once daily.) 

Good luck and have a SWEET day!

This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 years and older. All entries must be submitted no later than August 30, 2011, 11:59 CST.  Winner will be chosen via True Number Generator at Random.org and notified via blog post and email.  Winner must respond to notice within 48 hours or another winner will be chosen.  Jessica, The Mom is not responsible if your notice goes into your spam box. 

Disclosure:  Pillsbury^® Sweet Moments^® , information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Great Deal on Propel Zero

Check out Menards through July 31st and score up to six 6-packs of Propel Zero for only $1.75 each!!  That is an awesome price at only 29 cents per bottle!  Price is after 75 cent mail-in rebate (limit 6) and rebate is in form of a merchandise credit check.  Even without the rebate, you're getting a great deal at $2.50 per 6-pack.  That is still only 42 cents per bottle.  I personally LOVE Grape Propel Zero and will be taking advantage of the great sale price at Menards! 

Visit Menards for complete details.

Even If It Makes Me Cry

Once upon a time, I was a 135 pound, size eight, 27 year-old bride to be.  That's a picture of me, then, at my baccalaureate party.  Five years and two kids later, I'm tipping the scales at a much higher number than I wish to share.  I got married in 2006, had my daughter in 2008 and my son in 2010.  I had both of my children via C-section.  But now it's been over a year since my son was born and it's time to lay the "I've had two kids" excuse to rest.

The fact is, I've struggled with my weight since high school.  I've been up.  I've been down.  For most of my late teens and early twenties I bounced around between 120 and up to 150 before I got in decent shape for my wedding.  Keep in mind that I'm only 5'1", so 150 was heavier for me than it would be for a taller woman.  I actually started putting weight back on before I got pregnant with Kaiya.  I was careless.  We had started trying for her right after the wedding and I kind of had it in my mind that I was going to get pregnant and gain weight anyway, so why bother working too hard on my weight right now?  Not the wisest choice on my part.  I was back up to around 150 when I finally got pregnant with Kaiya and gained 50lbs during my first pregnancy.  Yes, I broke the 200lb mark (while pregnant).  I did lose a lot of the weight after she was born, but never got back below 150.  Then came Carson.  At least I didn't break 200 with him, but I did put on about 35lbs.  I lost some of it, but now, 14 months after the birth of my second child, the body of my past seems like such a distant memory. 

Being overweight sucks!  I hate it.  I hate looking in the mirror most days and I hate trying to find clothes that I feel good in.  Some days I am really hard on myself, and it really gets me down.  I do not like the way my body looks.  It affects me on a day-to-day basis.  I know I'm the only one who can fix it.  One good thing is that I still don't have to shop plus sizes.  I promised myself I never would.  If I'm going to keep that promise to myself, I have to fix it now.  I feel like I'm at a point right now where I have to draw the line.  I cannot let it go any longer.  I cannot make any more excuses for myself.  I need to just do it.

Four days ago, I started Insanity®.  This is the first time that I can remember (since my days in the National Guard, anyway) that I've worked out for more than two consecutive days (let alone 4!).  I will do the Day 5 workout tonight and I will do the Day 6 workout tomorrow.  And I will do the entire 60-day challenge, resting only one day per week.   I cried (just a tiny bit) on day 3.  It is a hard workout.  I'll probably cry again.  But I'm sticking with it and I'm going to like my body again.

Follow me on my journey, if you like.  I'll be posting updates and, eventually, pictures of my progress.  I'm not yet comfortable posting a "before" pic, but I think I will be once I can say, "That used to be me."

A Coupon For Just About Everything

I was recently invited to visit a coupon website that I had actually never heard of.  I'm always looking for a good deal, so of course I was curious to check it out.  I went to couponchief.com to see what I'd been missing.  I was expecting another site for clipping traditional grocery-type coupons for food, health & beauty, etc.  Don't get me wrong, I love these sites, but most of them provide the same coupons as the next and I can only deal with so many email alerts in my inbox.  I was pleased to find that couponchief.com is different.

I haven't had the opportunity to do much online shopping lately, although it is one of my favorite ways to make purchases.  But I will definitely be visiting this site the next time I want to make an online purchase from a major (and even not so major) retailer.  Coupon Chief has a coupon code for just about any popular store you can think of.  Planning on doing a little bra shopping?  Click here for a free shipping code at Victoria's Secret.  Looking for a discount on your next electronics purchase at Best Buy?  There's a code for that.  In fact, I did a search on several major retailers (there is a search bar right on the site) and found Target, Verizon, Carter's, Amazon and Hobby Lobby, just to name a few.  There is no guarantee that every code will work and the codes are not provided directly by the retailers, but it appears as though many of them are legitimate.

The codes at couponchief.com are submitted by its fans.  They have a program called pays-2-share that allows you to be rewarded for submitting coupon codes that can be shared on the site.  There is also a blog highlighting current major retailers with codes.  You can create an account to receive newsletters and email alerts.  The site is visually appealing, as well.  It is neat and organized without a lot of clutter.  I'm inclined to not make many return visits to sites full of clutter that are hard to navigate.  The colors are clean and fresh and it had a bit of a retro feel to it.  Overall, I was pleased to add this site to my favorites.  I look forward to utilizing some great discount codes on my next online purchase, and I feel confident that there will probably be one available for what ever my needs might be.

I would love to know if you've visited this site before and, if so, what was your success rate?  Would you recommend it to others?  Stop by for a visit and post your feedback here.  You can also visit them on facebook!  As always, happy couponing!


Disclosure

Classic Entertainment

We had a great three-day weekend at our house, but the weather was a little grim on Saturday and Sunday.  Bored children (and adults).  We made the best of it by having some good, old-fashioned fun!  We built forts and played hide-and-seek!  What kinds of things do you do with your kids to keep the family entertained?  Here are some ideas that came from my childhood.  Classic, fun, and mostly free!

• Build a fort.  Drape blankets or sheets over chairs and couches to make a fun hideout for the kids.  We have a couch on each of two opposite walls.  We also have a large chair and ottoman.  We stick the ottoman in the center of the couches and drape blankets across, tucking them into the cushions and creating a tunnel on each side of the ottoman.  For an easy fort, throw a huge blanket or sheet over your cleared dining table, setting something sturdy on top to hold in place.
• Play hide-and-seek!  A no brainer, this classic is always fun for all ages.  My husband and I take turns with our three-year old daughter.  First, one of us helps her hide and the other finds her (little brother helps in the seek.)  Then one of us hides and the other helps her find us.  You can find lots of great places to hide a little kid!
• Create a club house.  Do you have a large box from a recent appliance purchase or other box large enough to fit a kid?  Turn it into a club house!  Use a razor to cut doors and windows.  Decorate it with curtains, markers, stickers, etc. 
• Make friendship bracelets.  This is great for kids that are a little older.  I loved making these when I was a kid.  You can find instructions on the web for some basic knot bracelets.  Embroidery thread can be found at most craft stores.  We used to make them and trade them.  Do a mom and daughter bracelet!  These can be for boys, too.  Just use boy colors and call them wristbands!
• Play store.  Get out some canned and boxed goods.  Put them out on a table, or shelf, within your little one's reach.  Grab the toy shopping cart and go shopping!  My daughter likes to use my expired coupons and we use her child's laptop as a cash register.  The mouse is the scan gun.  Take turns shopping and checking out.
• Play restaurant.  Let your little one seat you and take your order.  Then they can use play-dough to create you a culinary masterpiece!

There are lots of things you can do with your little ones.  The most fun are usually the things you can remember from your childhood.  Small children love to do just about anything a grown-up does.  So, think about the normal activities you do as a grown-up and turn them into a game with your kids!  Get creative and have fun!