A Yummy Way to Keep Hunger at Bay

I recently had the chance to sample one of the new Special K™ weight-management Protein Shakes and I have to say it was a deliciously creamy way to stave off those late afternoon hunger pangs. Featuring not only great taste, but also 10 grams of protein and five grams of fiber, it was a far better alternative to my usual candy bar from the vending machine.

The shakes come in three flavors: Milk Chocolate, Strawberry and French Vanilla. I haven't tried the latter two, but I can vouch for the Milk Chocolate flavor - very yummy! The shake comes in a recloseable plastic bottle, making it easy to grab and go.

Why not try these tasty shakes yourself? You'll find them in the diet and nutrition aisle of your grocery store. And remember to visit http://www.specialkcoupon.com/ to get a $1 off coupon on your purchase!

Mom Central's Father's Day Gift Guide

Just in time for Father's Day (this Sunday, June 21), Mom Central has compiled their favorite gifts for Dad in their Father's Day Gift Guide. From DVDs and custom steak brands to a seven-person domed tent, a digital camera and imported beer steins, there is something here for every Dad. Plus, they have organized the gift ideas by price, so there's no reason to break the bank!

Also, each day, Mom Central will post giveaways for Dads. Click over to Mom Central for your chance to win something neat for the special Dad in your life!

A Worthy Cause

Here's a cause worth supporting. Look Good. . . .Feel Better is a free, national public service program that helps women cope with the appearance-related changes of cancer treatment through workshops across the country, self-help materials, and other free information. The program is a collaboration of the Personal Care Products Council Foundation, the American Cancer Society, Inc. and the National Cosmetology Association.

With about one in three American women expected to receive a cancer diagnosis in her lifetime, cancer will likely touch all of our lives in some way, whether through a family member, a friend, or even ourselves. Along with the confusion and fear of a cancer diagnosis comes a number of adjustments, not the least of which, for many women, involves hair loss and other appearance-related changes that result from cancer treatment.

In honor of its 20th anniversary, Look Good…Feel Better is asking women cancer survivors to submit their stories of how the program helped them cope with cancer as a way to inspire others who may currently be undergoing cancer treatment. Entries will be featured on the Women of Hope is Beautiful blog to help educate others. Anyone can visit the site to view entries, make comments and show their support. In August, Look Good…Feel Better will choose five women with the most-compelling stories to receive a trip to New York City for a makeover and a trip to the DreamBall, a black-tie gala and the program's largest annual fundraiser, held each year in New York City.

So spread the word to all women about Look Good…Feel Better and the Women of Hope is Beautiful contest, and encourage them to inspire others by submitting their own stories of hope, determination, and courage.

This post courtesy of Mom Central

Lately I've been paying a lot of visits to a wonderful site called Mamapedia. As a mom, I find I face new parenting challenges daily, and I'm always looking for sound advice from other moms who have been doing this 'mom thing' for longer than I have. I'm constantly seeking advice on so many parenting topics, ranging from choosing to vaccinate - or not, to dealing with tantrums, to help on teaching toddlers to share, to finding the safest car seats, and everything in between! Up till now, it hasn't been easy to find a ready supply of advice. However, now I've found Mamapedia and I can search for answers to a variety of family-related questions and all on one site!

Visit Mamapedia with your most pressing questions and get empathetic and insightful answers from moms around the country. A virtual encyclopedia of Mothers' wisdom, Mamapedia allows you to quickly navigate through thousands of diverse categories to find the thoughtful, sympathetic-and most importantly-helpful answers to all of your questions. Mamapedia brings millions of women together online, both nation-wide and in our own communities, so we can help each other tackle those difficult parenting questions or even just give recommendations on our favorite pediatricians, playgroups, and kid-friendly restaurants.

Check out Mamapedia at mamapedia.com!

5 Minutes for Mom's Annual Mother's Day Giveaway!

Exciting news! 5 Minutes for Mom is celebrating motherhood in fine style with their annual Mother’s Day Giveaway. They are offering up some truly fantastic prizes during this two week event, so click over and be sure to join in on the fun!

100,000 playspaces in 100 days!

KaBOOM!, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding and creating play spaces within walking distance for every child, has embarked on a nationwide mission to help communities build playspaces. This proves critical for those many children living in neighborhoods without playgrounds or playspaces, or unable to use existing ones because of rundown conditions or dangerous neighborhoods.

We live in a too small apartment and if it wasn't for the fabulous parks around here, I would have gone off the deep end long ago; I am always eagerly listening in when I hear other moms talking about cool kid spots they've found. There is nothing to match fresh air and a safe, fun area where kids can release their apparently limitless supply of energy.

KaBOOM! believes that play has a purpose and unstructured play in particular helps make children happier, fitter, smarter, more socially adept and creative. So how can we help make this a reality for kids in less fortunate neighborhoods? Mom Central has teamed up with KaBOOM! to help map online 100,000 playspaces in 100 days.

Here's what counts as a playspace: a playground, field, a skate park, roller hockey rink, lake, dog park, community center, basketball court or ice rink - any place where kids can engage in unstructured play for free or a nominal fee.

A playspace listing on KaBOOM! consists of an address or cross street and a description, one photo and one rating. KaBOOM! has made creating this playspace listing easy: either a quick fill-in on their website or even easier - a twitpic from your cellphone.

For every play space entered into the KaBOOM! database on behalf of the Mom Central team, $1 will be donated to Jumpstart, a non-profit that brings at-risk preschool children and caring adults together to improve literacy. It's something to feel doubly good about!

Moreover, we all stand to benefit as all the playspaces with their photos and ratings will be available to us as we go on road trips this spring and summer, to visit relatives, or on vacation. You can go online and find cool places to take your kids to play- near the grandparents, the hotel, or off the highway to break up a long drive.

This Post Courtesy of Mom Central.

Plant A Virtual Flower And Win An Eco-Friendly Electrolux Washer And Dryer!

It's true, I don't have a whole lot of fun doing laundry. I find it a pretty thankless and never-ending task, and I shudder to think of how much water and energy our daily laundry loads consume. I imagine many other moms share these sentiments, so I was pleased to hear that Electrolux and Kelly Ripa have teamed up to take out some of the drollness - and the waste - of doing laundry with their introduction of an eco-friendly front-load washer and dryer in a truly vibrant shade – “Kelly Green.”

The new limited edition shade, an upbeat green designed to pack a visual punch, was inspired by the great outdoors and self-proclaimed eco-Mom Kelly Ripa. Here’s a quote from Kelly herself: “I love green … the color green and the act of living green,” said Ripa. “What better place to make a simple, every day difference than in the laundry room? Kelly Green is a gorgeous shade, and just by using the new Electrolux high-efficiency washer and dryer you can save energy and use less water. How green is that?”

Just in time for Earth day, Electrolux kicks off its virtual flower garden campaign to drive awareness and raise funds for Global Green USA. Starting today, when you go to http://www.electroluxappliances.com/ and plant a virtual flower for a friend, Electrolux will donate $1 to Global Green USA to support their healthy green schools initiatives across America. Everyone who logs on to the site and plants a virtual flower will be automatically entered for a chance to win a new eco-friendly Kelly Green front-load washer and dryer!

In addition, Mom Central will be giving away one eco-friendly “Kelly Green” washer and dryer set to a member of our community! To enter, simply go to http://www.momcentral.com/blogs/win-a-kelly-green-electrolux-washer-a-dryer.html and (1) tell us which flower you planted on the Electrolux site and (2) share your own “laundry tips” for saving time and energy. Mom Central will pick one lucky winner in a random drawing from all entries received!

So, what are you waiting for? Go plant your flowers! You'll not only be helping the Global Green USA initiative, you could also be on your way to owning an eco-friendly new washer and dryer that will seriously jazz up your laundry room!

This Post Courtesy of Mom Central

A Staple For Every Medicine Cabinet - But Keep It Current!

So far this week on the injury front, my daughter has been struggling with a nasty hangnail for several days and today she fell at the park and grazed her knee; I have a paper cut on the side of my forefinger and I have a newly minted scrape across the top of my hand after my temperamental cat took a swipe at me this evening. There always seems to be a reason I need to head for the medicine cabinet and dig out the NEOSPORIN®, as even minor cuts and scrapes can become contaminated with dirt and germs, which may cause infection.

Pre-parenthood, I was awful at staying on top of expiration dates and I had first aid supplies that were years past their usefulness. Once I had Pudding Pie though, I became more diligent (neurotic) and I now stay on top of tossing unused and expired medicines. I encourage you to do the same. It turns out that 40% of homes have an expired topical antibiotic in the medicine cabinet, an important issue as some products may lose their effectiveness once they reach their expiration date.

I recently received a tube of NEOSPORIN® + Pain Relief Ointment and a tube of NEOSPORIN® + Pain Relief Cream, and the newly available NEOSPORIN® NEO TO GO!® First Aid Antiseptic/Pain Relieving Spray. I really like the cream because Pudding Pie strongly dislikes any kind of ointment, and I am very excited about my handy little NEOSPORIN® NEO TO GO!® Spray. It is a wonderfully convenient way to clean and disinfect cuts, and I love that it also offers pain relief. We put it to use for the first time today when Pudding Pie took her tumble at the park, and grazed her knee. Pudding Pie was so fascinated by our fancy first aid gadget, she forgot to fuss about her knee!

This review courtesy of Mom Central and Johnson's

Helping Teens Learn Financial Responsibility

Pudding Pie has some years to go before she hits her teens or even her tweens, but I have friends who are parents to kids in these age groups, and I am witnessing them struggle with the delicate balance between giving their kids some financial independence while at the same time protecting themselves from getting an unwelcome surprise when they check the balance in their bank accounts.

Today our tweens and teens want, indeed expect, access to plastic. However, things go south quickly when these well-intentioned but inexperienced young adults overspend their set allowances - and this is especially true right now with practically everyone feeling the economic pinch.

To help balance the desire of our kids with the balance in our checking accounts, Discover Card has come up with a truly innovative debit card called Current by Discover Card, designed especially for kids ages 13 to 18. The Current Card helps us teach our kids how to manage spending.

Like car companies that allow you to set the maximum speed limit on your teen's car, Current by Discover Card puts parents in control by letting them set (daily, weekly, monthly) spending limits, block certain merchant categories (like ATMs and liquor stores) and track teen spending online or through email and text message alerts.

Plus, because it's a debit card product, the card stops working when the limit is reached without incurring any additional fees, which protects teens from overspending.

As parents, we have the responsibility to discuss wise spending habits as a family and Discover Card has created an online resource, to help us talk with our kids about managing and spending money, and the importance of setting limits.

The Current by Discover Card provides kids with access to money in the way they want it while still giving parents what they need - independent spending by their kids without debt or incurring hidden fees. No more unwelcome surprises on your credit card statements!

Review courtesy of Mom Central

Celebrating 50 Years Of No More Tears!

JOHNSON'S® has been a bathtime friend for a long time now - it was there in early childhood when my sisters and I would get loaded into the tub and get sudsed up by mom, then spend ages creating spectacular shampoo 'up-dos' for each other in our tub salon. Today, JOHNSON'S® is still part of daily life, only now I am sudsing up my sweet Pudding Pie and teaching her how to make her own impressive updos. JOHNSON'S® is indeed an old friend; there's something about the smell that transports me back to childhood. I guess for me it will always embody the sweet smell of innocence and when Pudding Pie is just bathed, I can't think of a nicer smell!

Pudding Pie working on her 'updo'.

JOHNSON'S® has introduced two new products to help celebrate its 50th Anniversary and continue the tradition of bathtime fun: JOHNSON'S® HEAD-TO-TOE® Foaming Wash and Johnson's® Baby Bubble Bath & Wash. I was asked to review the products and blog about them on behalf of Mom Central and JOHNSON'S®, and I am thrilled to do so!

Pudding Pie loves the new HEAD-TO-TOE® Foaming Wash from JOHNSON'S®. She thinks the easy and convenient pump-and-foam feature is marvelous. I have to wrestle the bottle away from her because she just keeps pumping out the foam! This specially designed bottle allows moms the flexibility of using only one hand to dispense the product while also providing substantial lather for cleansing. This new, gentle cleansing product contains mild ingredients and the updated JOHNSON'S® NO MORE TEARS® formula that utilizes new science and technology from JOHNSON'S®.

Quick Facts about JOHNSON'S® HEAD-TO-TOE Foaming Wash

· JOHNSON'S® is the #1 choice of hospitals
· Designed to help avoid common skin problems caused by cleansing before they start
· NO MORE TEARS® formula is as gentle as water alone to the skin
· Designed to be gentle enough for newborns
· Soap-free, dye-free, hypoallergenic and allergy- and dermatologist-tested
· Rinses easily
· Suggested Retail Price: $4.89 for 9oz

The Baby Bubble Bath & Wash from JOHNSON'S® has added a new dimension of fun to Pudding Pie's bathtime adventures, and we have created some impressive bubble 'storms'! This product contains an all-new formula combining the NO MORE TEARS® extra gentle baby wash formula with big, bath time bubbles. The new, dermatologist- and pediatrician-tested formula is gentle enough to use everyday and is clinically proven mild for both baby girls and boys.

Quick Facts about JOHNSON'S ® Baby Bubble Bath & Wash
· Contains the NO MORE TEARS® formula, which is as gentle to the eyes as pure water
· Soap-free, dye-free, hypoallergenic and allergy tested Dermatologist and pediatrician tested
· Rinses easily
· Gentle enough to use everyday for both girls and boys
· Suggested Retail Price: $3.99 for 15oz

Review courtesy of Mom Central