Hello to UBP 2011 Blog Hoppers!

Hello! - And welcome to all Ultimate Blog Party 2011 blog hoppers!

I'm Belinda, mom to Pudding Pie, and I hope you're having as much fun as I am at the UBP 2011! When my four-year-old princess isn't keeping me on my toes (when she's finally firmly tucked into bed...), I enjoy trawling the blogosphere and connecting with other mom bloggers.

I was a stay-at-home mom, but went to work as a nanny when Pudding Pie turned two. I needed an income and I didn't want to be away from my precious girl, so working in childcare was the most logical choice. Two years later, I'm not looking back - we have the extra income, Pudding Pie has playmates all day long and we still spend our days together - perfect!

Wordless Wednesday

Pudding Pie in her rodeo gear. (Note the bling...) Check out 5 Minutes For Mom for more Wordless Wednesday

"Paint it Purple!" With Welch's Grape Juice

Did you know that March was National Nutrition Month? In honor of this, Pudding Pie and I participated in the Welch's Paint it Purple! contest. The contest required that we take part in a "purple" activity, using Welch's 100% Grape Juice using Concord grapes. I browsed Welch's Recipe Box online and decided that we'd try our hand at making the Grape Infused Fortune Cookies.

The recipe didn't look that difficult, and how fun to have grape flavored fortune cookies! We gathered ingredients and began our project with enthusiasm.(Observe the beginnings of our very purple batter.)

However, somehow, we lost our way during the recipe and the outcome was not exactly what we'd hoped for. It is possible (but I am not pointing fingers), that my sous chef engaged in some improvisations that she declined to share with me.

Our fortune cookies were not the crisp, thin and perfectly folded objects of perfection that we'd imagined. Instead, they were decidedly thicker and they stubbornly refused to be folded without breaking in half - every time. Pudding Pie was not heavily impressed. (Observe the look of disdain.)

The red muffin pan displays our entire end result - we persevered in spite of increasingly grim results.

Luckily, Pudding Pie brightened up when she got to taste the first cooled down cookie. She pronounced it "not too bad" - and she loved having her fortune read to her.

Grape-Infused Fortune Cookie travails aside, Pudding Pie enjoyed sampling the Welch’s 100% Grape Juice made with Concord grapes. She declared the juice “yummy” and became an instant convert – I know why – it is sweet, sweet, sweet!

I was pleased to learn that a half cup of this juice is equal to one full serving of fruit - a stress-free way to help us meet her recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables.

According to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, half of what is on our plate should be fruits and vegetables - easier said than done when feeding a four-year-old diva. It’s not that she dislikes fruits or veggies, it’s just that she gets distracted and meal times turn into a marathon. She almost always ends up not getting through the food on her plate, and I worry that my child is not getting what she needs to grow. I was thrilled to discover that the juice has no added sugar. Actually, I was quite surprised because it is uber sweet – right up Pudding Pie’s alley!

The Concord grape offers not only natural antioxidants, but also a mix of plant nutrients (polyphenols), which could benefit heart health. Including heart healthy food in our kids’ diets is not only essential to their growth and development, but I’m told it could also shift the trend of nearly half of all Americans who still don’t eat the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables.

In honor of National Nutrition Month, Welch's is spreading the word about resources it offers to help us and our families navigate toward healthier lives:

Welch's Family Vine Tool: A tool to help trace and understand your family’s heart history, since it is not just diet and exercise but genetics too, which affects your heart.

GrapeScience.com: This site informs readers about research on the health benefits of the Concord grape in areas like heart health, cognitive health, immune system health and more.

Welch's Recipe Box: Check this out for great grape- and grape-juice inspired recipes. (You'll find the Grape-Infused Fortune Cookies here...)

Check out Welch’s on Twitter and Facebook for more ideas and coupons.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Welch’s and received a product sample to facilitate my review and a gift code to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Springtime sprucing - plus - a new tool to tackle the worst cleaning chore

**Update: Congrats to jp26 - winner of the fab Clorox Bathroom Essentials prize pack !

I love a clean house. I love the quiet satisfaction derived when all around me is clean and ordered. When my home is ordered, so is my mind. When my home is not an oasis of calm, neither am I…

An endless pile of laundry waiting for its turn to be folded, interminable cycles of the dishwasher, growing jumbles of toys to be put away, books in untidy stacks, CDs and DVDs in haphazard piles, shoes scattered everywhere. This is the frontline of my daily struggle to keep our home from looking like a giant dumping ground.

By the time I’ve dealt with the each day's laundry, dishes, vacuuming/mopping, general cleaning and picking up, I am done. The ‘extra stuff’ can wait ‘till spring. (I like the tarnished look on silver...)

Spring is here now. Hmm. Hooray, I guess. Time to get going on all the chores I have successfully avoided since last spring’s cleaning shakedown.

Here are some of this year's spring cleaning “To Do’s”:
• Take down the collection of decorative teapots on display in our kitchen. Wash off the thick coating of grime and dust that has managed to build up on each one of them over the past year. Ugh.

• Gently and carefully hand wash and then iron the drapes that hang in my daughter’s bedroom. Yes, I said handwash and iron. Her drapes are a delightfully ethereal, flimsy white fabric - sprinkled with pink and green florals.

So pretty, but a massive headache for mom because they show every teeny tiny speck of dirt, and I spend half the year trying to ignore their steadily more grimy appearance. In a twisted way, I actually look forward to washing them: just so that I can enjoy looking at them for the two weeks of the year that they remain prettily pristine.

• Decluttering! Earlier this week, when our spring cleaning commenced in earnest, we began the task of sorting and organizing Pudding Pie’s art supplies. Her art stash had been residing in a sprawling and untidy pile beside (and beneath) her art table. Because her art table is in our living room, the entire room takes on the sprawling, untidy tone.

After a long morning of cleaning, we now have no more art sprawl! Instead, we have an organized art supplies cabinet and we've reassigned part of a bookshelf to the remaining art/educational supplies. It looks great, and Pudding Pie has a renewed interest in doing her cool art projects because she can find everything again!

I have also been combing through the various jumbles of toys and I’ve been culling those that Pudding Pie has outgrown. This is a task I reserve for when she is nowhere near our home. I once made the mistake of asking if she’d like to help me weed out some of the toys she no longer plays with. Silly mommy, I didn’t realize that she still plays with everything and nothing is ever ready for the donation box or the trash. Now, I fly solo on this project.

• Dusting, dusting, dusting. We have so many shelves with objets artfully displayed…how did we ever accumulate so much stuff? I play a game when I approach this mind-numbing task: I try to remember every fact I can about the item I am working on. (Who gave this to me? When? Why? And finally: Perhaps we should store this for a while?) I imagine a home with nothing on the shelves, where one wide and carefree sweep scoops up the dust and then I’m home free. Knowing me, if I had nothing on any of the shelves, I would repopulate them with new treasures in no time at all.

While we’re on the subject, let’s talk about my cleaning nemesis: the toilet. Cleaning the toilets really doesn’t fall under the header of Annual Spring Cleaning. Necessity dictates that this activity falls more under the Several Times Per Week header, also the Guests Are Coming header. I do not like cleaning the toilets, but I doubt this makes me unique.

When cleaning my nemesis, along with the toilet brush, I use excessive quantities of bleach and paper towels. After I’m done, I flush the toilet brush over and over again in the clean toilet - and I still wince if it drips on its way back to its holder. I drive myself crazy by imagining a guest needing to use the toilet brush, then carelessly slinging it back into its holder. Did they rinse it off thoroughly? Did anything drip off the brush and onto the seat, on the brushes’ journey back to base? Ah, the possibilities are endless...

Luckily, I can now shift focus to the other things that keep me up at night because Clorox has come up with a wondrous thing: a disposable toilet brush! Yes, the Clorox ToiletWand System has allowed me to dispense with the whole process of vigorously cleaning off the toilet brush – now, I just discard after use.

Each time you need to clean the commode, attach a disposable head onto the end of the Clorox ToiletWand, dip the cleaning head into the bowl and scrub your toilet bowl clean. The disposable head disinfects your toilet bowl killing 99.9% of germs. Once you’re done scrubbing, one easy click of the button on the ToiletWand pitches the used head into the trash - I love it!

Plus, the disposable heads store neatly and conveniently inside the container housing the wand – no clutter. If you think you’d like to ditch your old toilet brush and go with the more effortless approach, click here for a $3.00 coupon! Also, if there’s still any doubt in your mind about how easy and effective the Clorox ToiletWand is, check out the how-to video here.

Finally, If you're now coveting a ToiletWand for yourself, today could be your lucky day! Between now and April 11th, Cuddle Cottage is hosting a giveaway for one Clorox Bathroom Essentials ToiletWand prize pack!

The prize pack includes a ToiletWand, bathroom rug, toilet decal, and toilet paper holder. To enter, leave a comment letting me know your least favorite household chore. Be sure to leave your comment before midnight on Monday, April 11th.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Clorox and received a ToiletWand to facilitate my review and a gift code to thank me for taking the time to participate.

New Tips To Support A Loved One Living With Epilepsy

Whenever I know I'm coming down with something, I'm filled with dread. Not only because I know I'm going to feel less than wonderful, but also because I know I can't just take to my bed and dwell there until the affliction passes. Why not? There's too much to be done every day, and it all rests on my shoulders. You could accuse me of being a poor delegator, but I will respond 'I'm a mom - is there another way?!'

Even when I'm completely healthy, I'm always racing to complete the mounting daily tasks. I can't imagine how much more challenging these tasks are when dealing with a disability myself or while caring for a loved with a disability.

November marked National Epilepsy Awareness month, and HealthyWomen.org created the "Women Succeeding with Epilepsy" video series, sponsored by UCB, Inc., to educate and inspire women dealing with the challenges of living or caring for someone with epilepsy. In the series, one woman, Amy W., tells the story of caring for her son with epilepsy while another woman, Veronica C., shares her experience of living with epilepsy since she was a teenager. To watch the videos visit: http://www.healthywomen.org/content/article/women-succeeding-epilepsy-part2.

My grandmother lived with epilepsy all her life and it partly defined her. She left school early because of her epilepsy, she couldn't get a job because of her epilepsy and, even though she was a wonderful, competent and talented woman, she was tremendously shy because of her epilepsy.

I wish I'd been more educated and thus more aware of the ways in which I could have helped her deal with her epilepsy and so, in memory of my grandmother who endured an illness that challenged her throughout her life, I'd like to write about the following tips from HealthyWomen for supporting someone who lives with epilepsy.

10 Tips For Supporting Someone With Epilepsy

Supporting a Child: Mom often takes on many roles in the family—caretaker, health care decision maker and cheerleader. If you have a son or daughter living with epilepsy, you’ll often take on all three. Laying a strong foundation for your child, child, while still taking care of oneself, can be challenging. These tips can help:

1. Communication is key. Nurture an environment of openness. It’s important to have a candid dialogue about your child’s condition, so they feel comfortable coming to you with any feelings or concerns. Talking about what it means for them is important, as is talking to others about what it means for you. Also, letting neighbors, coaches, teachers, school officials and other important people know is key to fostering a team approach.
2. Make informed decisions. Start by choosing the right health careprofessional. Give your child the best possible chance for success by seeking care from a specialist who is familiar with epilepsy, such as a neurologist or epileptologist. Do your research and ask lots of questions. If you don’t feel comfortable from the beginning, keep looking.
3. Guide your child toward activities where success is most likely. It’s easy to see your child’s strengths. Encourage them to participate in activities where their skills will be best utilized. For example, partaking in an individual sport rather than a team one may offer significant benefits. Also, by giving your child responsibilities and allowing him or her to make or contribute to important decisions, you’ll be empowering your youngster to be his or her own advocate one day.
4. Remember: To care for someone else, you need to take care of yourself first. You know when you’re on an airplane and they say to secure your oxygen mask first? Same idea here—you can’t help your family if you aren’t taking care of yourself. Make sure to schedule some time for self‐care, relaxation and nurturing other important relationships in your life. Also, it helps to have a support network of other parents caring for children with epilepsy. You can find resources for this at epilepsyadvocate.com.
5. Always be prepared. Create an action plan so that you’re ready if a seizure occurs. That includes always carrying important phone numbers and any necessary medications.
   Supporting another adult: Do you have a friend, coworker, spouse, parent or sibling living with epilepsy? Maybe you want to be supportive but aren’t sure how. These tips can help:
6. Talk openly. By normalizing conversation about epilepsy and seizures, your friend or loved one will feel more comfortable talking about their concerns and fears. Also, don’t be afraid to express your own feelings as well. Witnessing a seizure can be scary—if it happens to you, talk about it.
7. Do your homework. Learn what you can do in the event of a seizure by asking a medical professional, doing research and talking to the person who has epilepsy. Visit www.epilepsyfoundation.org/about/firstaid to read their tips on first aid for seizures. Also, it helps to understand terminology and to know what resources and support options are available.
8. Be a cheerleader and advocate. Stay optimistic and celebrate seizure control and important milestones. Educate those around you and encourage them to get involved with epilepsy awareness.
9. Offer to go to important medical appointments. Your friend or loved one may want some extra support or someone to take notes about medical procedures or other important topics. This will also allow you to be a solid sounding board for confusing medical decisions. In addition, people with epilepsy may not recall what happens during a seizure, so caregivers should try to communicate that information to the physician.
10. Carry important phone numbers with you. Whether it’s for specific doctors, local hospitals or other loved ones, always be able to contact the people who you may need or want informed of any given situation.
    
    
    I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of HealthyWomen’s “Women Succeeding with Epilepsy” sponsored by UCB, Inc. and received a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Luxurious Relief For A Mom's Hands

As a mom - and a nanny - I spend a good portion of every weekday with my hands in water: doing the dishes in scalding, soapy dish water; soaking/scrubbing stained clothes; bathing fidgety little bodies in warm, sudsy bath water; washing little hands and faces after breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack times; washing my hands, washing my hands, washing my hands...

It is hardly surprisingly then that my hands are always on the dry side, but when it gets to the colder months, they become painfully dry and cracked overnight and they 'snag' on fabrics in a way that makes my hair stand on end. I often resort to slathering my hands in big clods of lotion, then sleeping with them covered in sock 'mittens'.

When I heard about Johnson's Shea & Cocoa Butter line of baby oil products, I was curious to see how they'd help my beleagured paws. I started using the Johnson's Baby Creamy Oil almost two weeks ago, and it is deliciously soothing. Luxuriously thick and creamy, and not at all greasy - I've been slathering it on every chance I get. Folding the laundry is no longer a tortured affair! All Johnson's products are dermatologist and allergy-tested, so I allow Pudding Pie and my other two charges to slather it on their mini paws, too. Now we all have richly hydrated mitts and, thanks to the Shea & Cocoa Butter fragrance, we all smell sublime!

Johnson's also offers Baby Oil and Baby Oil Gel in the Shea & Cocoa Butter line, and just a small amount left my skin feeling silky soft - it is particularly great on freshly-shaved legs!

While we're on the subject of fragrance, let me talk about my penchant for the Shea & Cocoa Butter scent. It reminds me of my most favorite place: the beach. Last weekend, after a long soak in a steamy tub, I liberally slathered on the Johnson's Baby Oil Gel from the Shea & Cocoa Butter line. It was blissful, my skin felt ultra soft, pampered actually. Afterwards, I relaxed on the sofa, gazed at the large glass bowl filled with white beach sand and seashells, which resides in our living room, and planned our next beach vacation...

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Johnson’s 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.

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.