5 Minutes For Mom Christmas Giveaway 2010

The festive season has officially arrived - yeeha! This also means that its time for the annual 5 Minutes For Mom Christmas Giveaway and (luckily for me and all the other latecomers this year), the entry deadline has been extended to December 4 -phew! Don't delay - click over for a chance to win some great prizes!

Prenatal Multivitamins For Mom And Baby's Health

*Update: Congratulations to AmyLynn, you are the winner of the Nature Made Prenatal gift pack!*

The discovery that I was pregnant with Pudding Pie was a big surprise. Yes, it was a very wonderful surprise, but we hadn't been trying for a baby and my lifestyle then was far from healthy. I was petrified that the baby would suffer because of my addiction to coffee, diet soda and junk food. I smoked back then, did not bother with vitamins, rarely indulged in fruits or vegetables, and was completely allergic to exercise.

All of this changed when I learned that I had a baby on the way. That was the day I smoked my last cigarette and drank my last caffeinated drink. I reformed overnight and took the fast track to healthy living, but I was still concerned about my baby getting all that she needed to grow and I took my prenatal vitamins religiously.

I was nauseous for much of the first part of my pregnancy (actually more like the first seven eighths of it...), and taking my prenatal vitamins made me more so. I tried a few different brands and eventually settled on the one that made me feel slightly less nauseous than the others - but it cost me an arm and a leg.

Pudding Pie survived her lack of vitamins those first two months and emerged spectacularly healthy, a trend she continues to this day. I continued taking my prenatal vitamins while I nursed her (they no longer made me nauseous), and I gave them up reluctantly. Actually, I was so pleased with my daily dollop of multivitamins and DHA, that I'd probably still be taking them if it weren't for the fifty plus bucks/month thing. I've moved on to regular multivitamins and my lifestyle is now significantly healthier than it was pre-Pudding Pie. And, should we try for a second child, I'll be sure to begin those prenatal multivitamins from the get-go.

Nature Made, a trusted maker of vitamins and supplements, offers Nature Made Prenatal Multivitamin with DHA in one single softgel. How great to not have to take two pills when you're feeling nauseous!

Nature Made was the first over-the-counter brand to launch a Prenatal Multivitamin with 200mg DHA in one single softgel. One of these softgels delivers 800mg of Folic Acid,Vitamins A,C,D and Zinc, Iron, B – Complex (Vitamins B6, B12), EPA/DHA, Niacin, and 200mg of DHA.

DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid, which is passed directly from the mother to the child during pregnancy and through breastfeeding. It is an essential nutrient, and plays an important role in brain and retina development during fetal development and infancy. To learn more about Nature Made's Prenatal vitamins, visit naturemade.com.

**One lucky reader will win A Nature Made Prenatal gift pack! The gift pack will include a 9 month supply of Nature Made Prenatal Multivitamin with DHA, two 2-packs of cloth diapers and a "Just for Baby" food processor! To enter, please leave a pregnancy-related comment and be sure to include a way for me to reach you.

Giveaway ends at midnight on Sunday, November 14th. **

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central on behalf of Nature Made and received the products necessary to facilitate my review and giveaway.

Go Back To School - On Your Terms

In my other life (pre-mommyhood), I went to college, had a blast, got myself a Bachelors degree, with one year of post-grad work in English Literature, and then went to work for a newspaper. A decade later I went back to school, this time to complete an Associates degree before going to work as a graphic designer. I had some trepidation about going back to school after so long, but it turned out to be a great move and was the catalyst for my second career.

After Pudding Pie was born, my professional life skidded to a halt and I savored the bliss of being a stay-at-home mom. Now however, several years have passed and soon Pudding Pie will be off to school. When this happens, I will once again return to work and, after such a long hiatus from work, I'll need to go back to school to get up myself up to speed once more.

As a mom, I don't see myself signing up for classes the traditional way. With so much more to juggle in my life, I will need to take courses that can fit in with my schedule. This is why I'm pretty excited about American Public University (APU). APU has a diverse, entirely online curriculum and more than 100 degree programs which can be tailored to suit my needs - great!

This means that once Pudding Pie goes to bed at night, I can study. It also means that when Pudding Pie is pirouetting her way through ballet class, I can study; when she's getting filthy on the soccer field, I can study; when she's hanging with her swim instructor, I can study!

APU offers flexibility: Unlike traditional universities, APU offers classes on a monthly basis (versus semesters), with accelerated programs and flexible courses. APU courses are 100% online, allowing students to obtain degrees from anywhere in the world – on their time, their schedules.

APU offers variety with more than 100 online degrees and certificates in subjects ranging from homeland security to management and liberal arts.

APU offers affordability with tuition that is among the lowest in the country for accredited online universities. This means quality, accredited degree programs at an affordable price. Also, APU’s simplified tuition and fee structure makes it easy for students to estimate and cover expenses, for example: an would pay $750 for a 3 credit course, and a graduate pays $900 for a 3 credit course. Here's something else I really like about APU: Their transfer credit program enables students to maximize previous learning and minimize the time and financial investment required to complete their studies.

APU offers quality and credibility: APU is a member institution of regionally- and nationally-accredited American Public University System (APUS), recognized as a leading education provider by numerous military, federal, private and public sector employers. Also, leading practitioners in a wide range of fields teach APU/AMU classes.

Yes, I'm excited about going back to school again! I'm relieved that it won't take lots of tricky maneuvering between mine and my husband's schedules, just so I can make it to class on time. I'm delighted that this needn't be a decision that will stretch our already-tight family budget, and I'm thrilled that I can have this flexibility and affordability - and still get a quality education through a credible institution.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of American Public University. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

An Essential For Optimum Health

Pudding Pie is not crazy about fish. She'll agree to eat fish sticks only if she can load them up with ketchup and that's about it. Its a shame because fish is full of protein and the 'good fats' - omega-3 fatty acids, and children especially need these essential fatty acids (EFAs) in their development.

Although Pudding Pie eagerly takes her multi-vitamin gummies every night, and although I do my best to ensure she follows a healthy diet, I worry about whether she is getting enough omega-3. It's true that, aside from fish, you can find omega-3's in other foods, such as walnuts, flaxseeds, beans, olive oil, winter squash. But, although this is great for adding add fatty acid variety to my diet, Pudding Pie is not too crazy about any of these foods either.

One daily teaspoon of Ascenta's new Nutrasea Kids supplement will deliver children their EFAs - with a Very Berry taste - and Pure Check quality assurance. The Pure Check logo on all Nutrasea products guarantees that they have been independently tested and certified for quality, purity and potency. Some fish oil supplements have high levels of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl compounds), environmental pollutants that pose significant health risks, so the Pure Check quality guarantee was a big factor in my decision to test the product on both myself and Pudding Pie.

I've always known that fish oil supplements are one way to get enough of those EFAs for both the big and little folk, but I was concerned that my most particular Pudding Pie would gag and create a terrible fuss if I tried this approach and I confess, I can understand - that fishy taste is a little overwhelming.

I first tried the Nutrasea adult supplement myself and I was pleasantly surprised by the distinct apple flavor that remained on my taste buds, so I decided to see how Pudding Pie would react to a dose of the kids supplement.

Nutrasea Kids' liquid format makes it easier to 'hide' in food favorites like milkshakes, smoothies, fruit juice and apple sauce. Still, on the day of Pudding Pie's first dose, I decided to forsake disguising the supplement and I administered the daily teaspoon directly into the mouth, thinking that the Very Berry taste would be enough to get the fish oil succesfully down Pudding Pie's throat. (It really is a nice taste for fish oil!)

This was a mistake. The fish oil was swiftly ejected, and I was roundly criticised for my audacious attempt to make Pudding Pie ingest something so vile. On Day 2, I wised up a little and I served the supplement in her morning orange juice and she drank a little of it, but then complained that her juice tasted "funky". By Day 3, I was smarter, I greatly increased the ratio of juice to fish oil, and my slightly wary guinea pig actually downed the lot - victory!

I also found that it really helped that by Day 2 and Day 3, the now-opened fish oil was being stored in our refrigerator and, for some reason, cold fish oil is more palatable than room temperature fish oil.

To learn more about the quality guarantee of Ascenta products, and the benefits of EFAs, visit their site: http://www.ascentahealth.com/.

*Nutrasea is recommended for children two to thirteen years old. Any children with fish allergies should consult a doctor before using Nutrasea.

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

A No-Mess Way To Fight Those Rays

For the past couple of weeks, Pudding Pie and her two friends have been enrolled in daily swim lessons. Our mornings are always chaotic and we usually skid into the pool just barely in time for our 10am lesson.

Pre-lesson you'll find me in a mad flap as I wrestle the younger girls into their swim diapers and swimsuits while cajoling/threatening Pudding Pie into hers. Then its on to hunting for everyone's flip-flops, gathering towels, clothes, extra diapers and all the other items that make a pool bag so unreasonably heavy.

I'm usually still trying to get the oblivious Pudding Pie to put on her swimsuit while I'm hustling to make the essential after-swim snack, fill the sippy cups and throw on my own suit.

Once we're poolside, there's no time for applying sunscreen, and the teacher stands, tapping her toes, as she waits for us to get it together so she can start class. Its no fun slathering 'gloopy' sunscreen onto three squirming girls who are itching to get in the water.

Starting last week, our routine has changed a little. I've begun using Shady Day Daily Sun Protection Wipes instead of our usual sunscreen, and the sunscreen application process has become far more pleasant!

I can put on my own sunscreen!

Now, just before we pull out of the drive, I hand each of my diminutive passengers a sun protection wipe and they busy themselves wiping wherever they can on their bodies while I ferry them to the pool. Who would have thought they'd actually enjoying applying sunscreen!

Once we're at the pool, it takes just a few mess-free minutes to finish getting all three girls sunscreened, then its into the pool with no fuss and a far less frazzled mama.

I confess that when I first tried these wipes, I was a little sceptical. I couldn't see how much sunscreen was actually going onto those little faces, so I hesitated and used our regular sunscreen lotion on the kids' faces and the Shady Day sunscreen wipes on my own face and everyone's bodies. I needn't have worried. At the end of our swim lesson, I realised we'd all been equally protected and now we use the wipes and nothing else!

Backed by a team of dermatologists, the hygenic pre-moistened Shady Day wipes contain broad spectrum UVA/UVB SPF 30 sunscreen, and are designed for the whole body.

Purchase Shady Day products at these retailers:

http://www.beautybrands.com/

http://www.ulta.com/

http://www.diapers.com/

http://www.rickysnyc.com/

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Shady Day and received a sample package of Shady Day Daily Sun Protection Wipes and a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Be Proactive In The Fight Against Cervical Cancer

As moms, it is our desire - and our duty - to do all we can to proactively protect our children. Cervical cancer is a serious health threat for women, but it is both preventable and curable if detected early. The National Cancer Institute estimates new cases of cervical cancer in 2010 at 12,200 and deaths from cervical cancer for 2010 at 4,210. Visit http://www.cancer.gov/ for more information.

Knowing that cervical cancer is both preventable and curable, I'll be using every resource available to me to protect Pudding Pie. HPV vaccines are for girls and young women ages 9-26. The vaccines act as powerful tools to help protect against the two types of HPV that are most commonly associated with cervical cancer. When Pudding Pie is the right age, she'll be getting her vaccine.

I have realised that its not enough for me to focus only on protecting Pudding Pie. For my daughter's sake, I have to be my own health advocate, stay proactive, and protect myself too.

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer affecting women worldwide, but the good news is that it is easily preventable because we know its cause, HPV. To protect against cervical cancer, we need routine Pap testing and we also need to ask for the HPV Test.

The Pap Test looks at a sample of cells taken from a woman's cervix for any cell changes or abnormalities. Pap testing should begin at age 21. The HPV Test is conducted from the same sample as the Pap and identifies women with high-risk HPV infections that can cause cervical cancer. When used with a Pap in women 30 and older, the HPV test increases the ability to identify who is at risk of developing cervical cancer.

However, not all doctors automatically use both tests so, moms, if you're 30 or older, ask your doctor for the digene HPV test along with your Pap smear.

• If both tests come back normal, then the tests don't need to be repeated for 3 years. But remember to return each year for your annual health exam.


• If one or both tests come back abnormal, this doesn't necessarly mean you have cervical cancer. It simply enables your healthcare provider to monitor you more closely or treat pre-cancerous cells before cervical cancer develops.


• HPV testing isn't necessary for women younger than 30, because HPV infections in young women usually go away on their own without causing problems. Women under 30 will only have HPV testing if their Pap testing is inconclusive.

To learn more about the early detection and prevention of cervical cancer through HPV screening and Pap testing, visit http://www.thehpvtest.com/. The site is chock-full of information and includes frequently-asked-questions, patient stories, and tips on deciphering test results. Take a few minutes to test your knowledge of HPV in the Myths vs. Facts Quiz -I was shocked at how uninformed I was!
Follow on Twitter: @HPVinformed
Follow on Facebok: http://bit.ly/HPVTestFB

Be sure to check out these other helpful links on cervical cancer prevention:

http://www.theyellowumbrella.org/
The Yellow Umbrella Organization is founded by cervical cancer survivor and "rocker", Christine Baze, who takes her music and story on the road to educate women about cancer prevention. Visit Christine's http://www.savethehooch.org/ hooch.org site to putchase a Yellow Umbrella make-up kit to raise money for cervical cancer prevention.

http://www.healthywomen.org/
HealthyWomen is the nation's leading independent health information source for women. Recently listed as one of Forbes' top 100 websites for women, healthywomen.org has resources on many women's health issues, including comprehensive info on cervical and gynecologic cancers.

http://www.pearlofwisdom.us/
The Pearl of Wisdom Campaign To Prevent Cervical Cancer is a gobal partnership to raise awareness of tools for preventing cervical cancer and advocate for making them available to girls and women worldwide. Buy a pin, send an e-card, and download educational materials.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of the Qiagen digene HPV Test. Mom Central also sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Go Back To School With Eco-Friendly School Supplies

Summer's been a blast but now it is time to start checking things off on those back-to-school shopping lists. I was just talking with a friend who is mom to three school-age girls, and she was bemoaning the endless list of school supplies to be tracked down as her girls prepare themselves for the coming year.

In the rush to get school-ready, we are so caught up in gathering the essentials for our kids, that we can forget about the negative impact all of those school supplies can have on the environment.

Paper Mate has not forgotten and now, to give us an opportunity to be proactive for the environment, Paper Mate has launched a new line of eco-friendly writing utensils, which include biodegradable pens and mechanical pencils. What an awesome idea!

To help demonstrate how products impact our environment, and to witness first-hand how eco-friendly these writing utensils are, we participated in the Plant-A-Pen Challenge. The Challenge was created by Mom Central, in partnership with Paper Mate.

For the challenge, we first separated the components of the pen into the biodegradable and non-biodegradable parts. (The packaging clearly explains which parts of the pen may be returned to the environment, and which may not.)

Next, we planted the biodegradable components of our Paper Mate pen on the edge of a nature reserve next door to our apartment. We marked the spot with our favorite Easter Bunny garden ornament, so we'll know where to go for our check up visits! Assuming all goes as it should, the planted pen will begin to break down over the next few months, and its components will biodegrade back into the soil.

At first, Pudding Pie was perplexed by this activity (she's never helped Mommy plant a pen before...), but now she's excited and she keeps wanting to check on its progress! This is such a great way to show her how something as small as a pen has an effect on our environment, and I confess that I am as excited as Pudding Pie to watch the biodegrading begin!

Pudding Pie marking the spot of our freshly planted pen.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Paper Mate 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.

A Natural Way To Restore a Healthier, Happier Mood

UPDATE: Congratulations to Mary Anne, you have won a 3-month supply of SAM-e Complete, plus a reusable water bottle and a mood journal! Thank you for taking the time to comment!

Life is busy. Those precious hours dedicated to sleep seem short and getting shorter. At the same time, those waking hours don't seem enough to get through the unending list of 'to-do's'. Sometimes, when you're feeling overwhelmed, its hard to keep upbeat and stay on track. I often find myself wishing for my own genie in a bottle to help me attack my more challenging days.

That genie has yet to show up but, lately, I've been feeling a new serenity. I haven't changed much in my daily life, the 'to-do's' are still coming at me thick and fast, but the tasks aren't seeming quite so insurmountable. I attribute this new, more centered attitude to Nature Made SAM-e Complete, a supplement I began taking a little over a week ago.

I've learned that, as we get older, our bodies start making less SAM-e, a naturally occurring compound, which ultimately works to maintain a balanced mood. Nature Made SAM-e Complete is a supplement clinically proven to naturally support a healthy mood. It does this by helping replenish your body's natural levels of SAM-e. For more information on Nature Made SAM-e, visit http://www.sam-e.com/.

Nature Made SAM-e Complete recently launched the "Give a Smile" campaign. They are working with Dream Factory, the second largest children's wish-granting organization in the U.S., to grant the wishes of three children suffering from a critical or chronic illness. Through this campaign, SAM-e will donate to a child's wish for every social action you complete (like uploading an image to their mosaic). The more social actions, the more SAM-e will donate. Click on this link to learn more about how your actions lead to SAM-e donations!

*How would you like to try Nature Made SAM-e yourself? Leave a comment before midnight on Sunday, August 15th and you'll be entered to win a 3-month supply, and a reusable water bottle and a mood journal!

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

Cold and Dreamy Treats To Beat The Heat

It's hot. Being outdoors after 9am and before 8pm is just not sane. Car seats are hot, swing sets are hot, backyards are steamy, tempers are short, bickering is plentiful, and fall seems so far away.

I would like to spend the daylight hours of summer indoors, basking in cool, air-conditioned comfort. Pudding Pie and her friends do not. They clamor to be outdoors. They want to be sprinting through the sprinkler, whizzing down the slip 'n slide, splashing in the pool, digging in the sand, hanging out on the back porch, daubing paint on anything they can, and so on.

Every day, they laugh, squeal, and play their way through their various sweaty outdoor activities while I lug toys around, set up the paints, wash off the paint, fill the pool, apply sunscreen, arbitrate disputes - and gently wilt.

I have my secret weapon though; it lives in the freezer and summer cannot be conquered without it: ice cream!

I recently tried the new Breyers Smooth & Dreamy Chocolate Caramel Brownie ice cream bars. I was not disappointed, and neither were Pudding Pie and her friends. the bars are rich, creamy and delicious!

The Breyers Smooth & Dreamy ice cream bars and sandwiches also come in five other rich and creamy flavors, including Vanilla Caramel Chip, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Chocolate Covered Strawberry, Vanilla Fudge Brownie, Triple Chocolate Chip.

These tasty delights are not only the perfect refreshment on a sultry summer day, they also contain no artificial flavors or colors, are 160 calories or less and have only 4-6g of fat per serving.

Think you'd like to try a new Breyers ice cream bar or sandwich? Leave a comment before midnight on Friday, August 6th, letting me know what you love most about summer, and you could win a couple of Breyers coupons!

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

Drop those extra pounds the Smart way

Twenty years ago, when I wanted to drop a few pounds, I cut back on the junk, ate sensibly, exercised more frequently - and watched the pounds disappear in a relatively short space of time. Today, banishing those extra pounds is a far more challenging task. Back then, I had no real commitments other than to myself, my career, my personal goals. When I needed to accomplish a task such as weight loss, I applied myself completely. Today, I begin each week filled with resolve, determined to get off the fat wagon, convinced that this time I'll stay the course and fit back into those 'skinny me' jeans. Usually I don't make it past noon on Monday.

Why have I continued to fail in my struggle to drop the unwanted pounds? Well, aside from being rather weak-willed in the face of glistening jelly donuts and the like, I have a far different lifestyle from the one I had twenty years ago. Today, my well-laid plans to follow a strict diet and exercise regime are tested and then sabotaged by daily life. I always begin Day One well: I crunch on my breakfast apple and feel good, sated, pleased with my iron will. Then I prepare breakfast for Pudding Pie and the other kids I care for. Perhaps this is Bacon and Cheesy Scrambled Eggs day, the smell wafts around the kitchen, I can't help but have a quick taste ...

I serve my pint-sized customers and they eat but, at the end of the meal, there are still a few forkfuls left. I can't bear to toss out good food so I gobble up the last few bites. And so the day goes. By evening, my diet has been abandoned. I am supposed to go for a brisk power walk when we get home from work, but Pudding Pie wants to come too - and bring her bike (which she is just learning to ride). The power walk turns into a slow, bent-double walk as mommy ends up pushing a suddenly tired Pudding Pie after the first five minutes of the excursion. We return home, I concede that my new diet and exercise regime has failed, so I console myself with a bowl of icecream. This is a typical Day One ...

Before you start feeling awful for me and my endless cycle of failed diets, let me tell you about a breakthrough in this sad cycle. I've shed a several pounds over the last week and a half! I am so excited! My will power cannot take all (actually any) of the credit. I have had help in the form of some great products from underWAY and Smart for Life.

I tried the underWAY supplement drink, which works naturally to suppress appetite while it quenches your thirst. The drinks work to curb hunger in two ways: the underWAY formulation takes longer for the stomach to absorb - and it also slows the absorption of what is already there, making you feel fuller for longer. Each drink is infused with a special HeroFiber and heart-healthy vitamins and contains no preservatives, sodium or caffeine. I sampled the Acai Pomegranate flavor and the Grape flavor. I found the Grape on the sweet side, but the Acai Pomegranate was just delicious.

I also tried out several of the Smart for Life products. These products are all natural and 60% organic, containing Omega-3 fatty acids and HeroFiber. Working on a 7-meals-per-day schedule, the Smart for Life philosophy is a perfect fit for someone who likes to snack throughout the day - that's me! The 7-meals-per-day schedule features 6 cookies or other products, plus a balanced dinner. This allows the body to maintain steady blood sugar and glucose levels, and burn more fat for a longer part of the day.

In a recent study done at Boca Raton Smart for Life Weight Managment Center, 46 people visited and used a portion-controlled, protein-rich, low fat cookie with fiber technology. All 46 lost weight, with the average being 13.1 pounds in 35 days. Five subjects lost over 20 pounds in 35 days and 20 subjects lost over 15 pounds in the first 35 days. The 46 participants lost a combined total of 601 pounds, with one participant losing 38.7 pounds in 35 days!

I loved the oatmeal raisin cookies. They were perfect for keeping hunger pangs at bay and they are really tasty, too. I also tried the THINADVENTURE cupcakes: Carrot Sunshine and Chocolate Mountain. I really couldn't say which I preferred, they were both good and it was hard to believe I was still on diet! I was pretty possessive over my Smart for Life products, but I had to share a few bites of my Chocolate Berry cereal with Pudding Pie as it was so good. I also tried the vanilla shake, (yum!) the Smart Bagels and Momma's Chicken Noodle Soup. All tasty and all worked well to keep me feeling pleasantly full.

I'm thrilled with what is finally a decent start to healthier eating habits. Now I've got to keep the momentum going - guess I'm going to be stocking up on those tasty cookies and the Acai-Pomegranate underWAY drinks!

If you're looking to drop those extra pounds quickly and safely, both underWAY and Smart for Life products can be purchased with a 10% discount! The discount code for underWAY products is MCUS100FFUW at http://www.underway.com/. and Smart for Life products can be purchased at http://www.smartforlife/, with the following discount code: MCUS100FFSL. The codes expire on August 30th.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of underWAY and Smart for Life and received samples of the products to review.